Kim Garam and Soojin return to ordinary life following their much-talked-about school violence controversies.
Kim Garam
Kim Garam was a former LE SSERAFIM member. She was embroiled in a bullying scandal one day after her debut. The School Violence Countermeasure Committee revealed that Kim Garam received a level-5 punishment for committing school violence. The record put Garam in an unfavorable light. Fans pressured Source Music to remove Kim Garam from the group.
The former LE SSERAFIM member left the group 3 months after her debut. Afterward, the idol also maintained a low profile. Rumor has it that she returned to school and became the target of bullying.
A photo supposedly of Kim Garam at school was also revealed. In the photo, curse words were written all over her table.
Netizens clarified that the uniform in the photo was of Gyeongin middle school, which means the photo was taken long before the bullying incident. Former classmates revealed that was how Kim Garam and her friends joked around; it was not Kim Garam now.
A recent update revealed that Kim Garam was studying at the School of Performing Arts. A photo showed the idol wearing a SOPA uniform.
Soojin
Soojin’s bullying scandal started with a post from an older sister of Soojin’s peer at cramp class in middle school. The post claimed that Soojin bullied the poster’s younger sister, physically and verbally abused other schoolmates, and mocked and bullied Seo Shin Ae, a famous child actress at the time. The female idol admitted wearing age-inappropriate clothing and smoking but denied other rumors. The idol claimed she did not remember bullying anyone or mocking Seo Shin Ae.
Afterward, Seo Shin Ae posted on Instagram with the caption, “None of your excuse,” which netizens believed to refer to Soojin. Later, the child actress released a public statement detailing the bullying she experienced in school. Unable to clear all rumors and withstand public backlash, CUBE announced Soojin’s departure in August 2021.
In June 2023, netizens claimed they found Soojin’s new Instagram account. Currently, the account has 2.6 million followers.
Most netizens reported that they did not feel disturbed by the former (G)I-DLE member’s past scandals. They only followed Soojin because of her everyday style and self-management.
Source: pann, allkpop
