The T-ARA harassment case resurfaces after many, many years.
Recently, former CEO of CCM and MBK Entertainment, Kim Kwang Soo, appeared on a TV show in which he addressed accusations of harassment within T-ARA. Indeed, the story goes back a long way, and the members of T-ARA had been accused of having harassed one of their own, Hwayoung. Hwayoung then left the group, and T-ARA's career only took a nosedive following the controversy.
In this recent broadcast, Kim Kwang Soo then said that the T-ARAs were innocent at the time but that he made a mistake by not defending them enough. He thus expressed that Hwayoung would not have been a victim.
Following this, the affair is being talked about again and Internet users are revisiting the history of the time, trying to disentangle the truth from the falsehood.
It is in this climate that Hwayoung herself spoke out on Instagram.
This November 18, Hwayoung posted a long message clarifying the allegations and rumors about him and the group. She also announced that she would take strong legal action against those who spread false rumors about her and leave malicious comments on social media, YouTube and community sites.
“This is Hwayoung, former member of T-ARA.
I sincerely apologize for unintentionally causing public fatigue through the recent controversy surrounding the “T-ARA harassment” incident.
Over the past 12 years, my family and I have endured false information, countless speculations, malicious comments that crossed the line, baseless criticism, threats and harassment. We endured the pain and stayed silent, but I couldn't stay silent anymore, so I had to share my statement on Instagram. I hope you will understand.
After posting my statement on Instagram last week, I sincerely awaited their apology. However, seeing that neither CEO Kim Kwang Soo nor the members of T-ARA made a statement, I decided to no longer have any expectations from them.
Nevertheless, I find some comfort in finally being able to tell my sister the truth, clarifying misunderstandings and escaping unwarranted accusations.
I am sharing this long message to further clarify certain points:
First: My sister texted Ahreum because, at that time, I looked after the new member Ahreum like a little sister. However, due to various conflicts caused by other members of T-ARA and Ahreum, I felt hurt and confided in my sister. That's why my sister sent a message to Ahreum. While my sister and Ahreum personally apologized and reconciled years ago, CEO Kim Kwang Soo appeared on TV without checking with the parties involved, sharing my sister's message publicly to serve his own interests. This malicious act inflicted further mental harm on me, my sister and Ahreum, constituting defamation by disclosure of the facts.
Second: CEO Kim Kwang Soo ignored the harassment I was facing even though he knew about it. I still remember being forced to live in the living room without a bedroom because no one wanted to share my room, as well as the countless verbal abuse, criticism and physical harassment. The T-ARA harassment incident remains my deepest wound.
Third: The “shampoo remark” made by stylist Kim Woori, who knows CEO Kim Kwang Soo, needs to be corrected to address the malicious comments I continue to receive.
Presenting himself as if he knew everything about me and T-ARA, he appeared on a past entertainment show and made up a story to criticize me. Although Kim Woori had connections with CEO Kim Kwang Soo and worked as T-ARA's stylist, he was not T-ARA's stylist when I joined the group. I have never met or spoken to Kim Woori.
On the show he claimed I said “Shampoo, let's go”, referring to a member of staff at the hair salon, implying I had a character problem. He also said that I had no discipline or manners as a new member, insisting that there was no wrongdoing on T-ARA's part. This is all false.
To be clear, I have never set foot in the beauty salon mentioned by Kim Woori, nor have I met or interacted with him. His interview was fabricated and constitutes a clear case of defamation. After I clarified on Instagram that it was false, Kim Woori blamed the broadcast company, calling it a “malicious edit” and irresponsibly attributing its lies to the network. While this may be a small matter for Kim Woori, I continue to suffer from the malicious comments and lasting pain caused by her “shampoo remark.”
I think harassment is as serious as murder in our society.
My sister and I no longer have expectations. We just want to forget this incident. I don't understand why CEO Kim Kwang Soo is bringing this up again. To avoid further speculation and malicious comments, I only wish to tell the truth.
For my family and myself, I will work hard to forgive CEO Kim Kwang Soo and the members of T-ARA, to understand and to recover from the hurt we suffered.
Finally, I would like to announce that I will take firm legal action against the spread of false information and malicious comments on YouTube and other platforms.
Thank you for reading this long message. »
