(G)I-DLE’s Former Member Seo Soo-jin, Singer Hwang Young-woong: Stars’ Return After Bully/Violence Controversy 

The public does not seem to be happy with the comeback of former member of (G)I-DLE Seo Soo-jin and singer Hwang Young-woong.

First of all, according to the music industry on October 16th, Seo Soo-jin recently signed a contract with BRD Communications and is preparing to make a solo debut two years and eight months after her school violence controversy.

In February 2021, a netizen posted on various online communities, claiming that Seo Soo-jin took money and valuables from her and slapped her when they were in middle school.

Cube Entertainment, Seo Soo-jin’s agency at the time, immediately denied, saying, “Soo-jin has argued with her alumni, but the school violence claimed by the author is not true at all.”

However, controversy erupted when actress Seo Shin-ae, who is an alumni of Seo Soo-jin, claimed that she had suffered verbal violence from Seo Soo-jin.

Seo Soo-jin later admitted she was mischievous at school, but denied all bullying accusations.

Nevertheless, as the controversy did not subside, Seo Soo-jin suspended all activities in March of that year and withdrew from the group in August. Since then, Seo Soo-jin has filed a criminal complaint against the accuser, but the case was concluded with no charges. Her exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment was also terminated in March of the following year.

Singer Hwang Young-woong, who was embroiled in controversy over school violence, dating violence, also announced his return through his fan cafe last month. Hwang Young-woong appeared in MBN trot survival ‘Fire Trot’ earlier this year and received great love as he emerged as a strong candidate for the championship.

However, during the competition, he was embroiled in controversy over past assault, causing injury, and dating violence. In the end, Hwang Young-woong apologized and withdrew from the program.

Last month, about six months after the controversy erupted, Hwang Young-woong announced on his official fan cafe that he would release his first mini-album. Despite this controversy, the amount of joint purchase of Hwang Young-woong’s first mini album donation exceeded 2.4 billion won, which is the amount that can purchase about 160,000 albums. In addition, the fan cafe staff has announced that they will jointly purchase for the second time.

Fans are cheering for these stars’ return, but the public’s response is still cold. Attention is focusing on whether they will be able to restore public trust and resume successful activities.