The school bullying scandals are over after Kim Ga-ram and Soo-jin left their groups?… Many people feel uncomfortable with the “ending of member withdrawal”
Kim Garam, who caused school bullying controversies, recently left LE SSERAFIM. The withdrawal of Soo-jin from (G)I-DLE due to the same issue last year was also highlighted again.
◆ Kim Ga-ram left LE SSERAFIM due to school bullying allegations… After only 2 months of the group promotion
On July 20th, HYBE Labels – Source Music made an official announcement, saying “Our exclusive contract with Kim Ga-ram has been terminated”, adding “We sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience to fans and many people due to the controversy related to Kim Ga-ram”.
The “controversy related to Kim Ga-ram” mentioned by Source Music means the suspicions of Kim Ga-ram being a school bullying perpetrator that arose even before her debut. A, who claimed to have suffered damages caused by Kim Ga-ram during their school days, said, “I was bullied by Kim Ga-ram and her friend in late April to early May 2018. Not being able to endure continuous group abuse, I had to transfer to another school.”
The controversy intensified. At that time, the agency maintained their position, saying “The revelation is malicious defamation, Kim Ga-ram was actually a victim”. However, a notice of the result issued by the School Violence Committee, which contained the information that Kim Ga-ram was punished for school bullying at Level 5, was revealed through the victim’s representative law firm, and public opinion began to support the victim.
Eventually, Kim Ga-ram’s activities with LE SSERAFIM were temporarily suspended. The decision was made 18 days after the group released their debut song “Fearless”. Later, Kim Ga-ram created an unprecedented case as she left the group in only two months without being able to participate in any more official activities of LE SSERAFIM.
Without Kim Ga-ram, LE SSERAFIM will continue their career as a group of 5 members. Although “Fearless” performed well on the Billboard Global Chart for 11 consecutive weeks, it was pointed out that the agency’s complacent response regarding the issue related to Kim Ga-ram has left an indelible stain on the group’s reputation.
◆ Soo-jin left (G)I-DLE… Seo Shin-ae
Before Kim Ga-ram left LE SSERAFIM, Soo-jin’s withdrawal from (G)I-DLE was also a big case. It happened in February last year, about half a year after an online community netizen claimed to be Soo-jin’s middle school alumni and raised school bullying suspicions.
At that time, Internet user B argued, “When Soo-jin was a student, she hit other students and extorted money as well as their valuable things”. In the process, actress Seo Shin-ae was also found to be a victim of Soo-jin’s school bullying, causing a great shock to the public.
Seo Shin-ae testified, “For two years, that person (Soo-jin) and her gang made continuous groundless accusations and personal attacks to other students everywhere, on their way to school, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, and every day”, adding credibility to the suspicions of Soo-jin committing school bullying.
Soo-jin complained of unfairness at first. Denying the school bullying allegations, she stressed, “I’ve never had any conversation with Seo Shin-ae when I was a student”. The accuser was sued for defamation and spreading false information.
However, the controversy did not cool down, and eventually, the agency decided to withdraw Soo-jin from the group. In March this year, about 7 months after Soo-jin left (G)I-DLE, her exclusive contract with the agency was also terminated. The results of the police investigation into the allegations of defamation of false information were reported as non-transfer.
Like Kim Ga-ram, Soo-jin left the group without a clear explanation regarding the school bullying allegations. The truth was put aside with no explanation nor apology, and fans are watching the group’s activities with “the ending of member withdrawal” in an uncomfortable way.
Source: Daum
