8 Most Disturbing Stories Of Idol Bullying Within The Industry
1. Hwayoung (T-ara)
Former T-ara member Hwayoung was rumored to have been severely bullied by the other members with a list of “proof” that went viral and caused a big controversy over the idol group. The whole issue began in 2012 when Hwayoung was unable to attend T-ara’s concert in Japan due to an injury.
Due to a series of misunderstandings and miscommunication, Hyomin as well as the other members posted on their SNS messages that indirectly referred to Hwayoung and her “lack of will”. Hwayoung was later seen crying outside of the waiting room of Music Bank talking on the phone, which is how the rumors of Hwayoung’s bullying began.
Since then, netizens began gathering “proof” of Hwayoung being bullied such as being forcefully fed rice cake by Eunjung, being poked in the eye by Hyomin, being ignored by Jiyeon or Boram ruining her umbrella.
Although T-ara tried to explain things, people were too busy criticizing them to understand. Hwayoung didn’t release any statements either until Eunjung stepped down from a drama due to the controversy. She later explained that everything was a misunderstanding and that she wasn’t bullied. Ultimately, Hwayoung stepped down from T-ara not long after the issue.
2. Kang Daniel
Kang Daniel was apparently bullied in elementary school because the other kids thought he was ugly. He mentioned that he later realized that self-respect came from within oneself.
3. Somi
Somi was seen crying in an interview on Sixteen as she talked about being teased for her looks. Somi, whose father is Canadian and mother is Korean, confessed that the people around her had teased her because she looked different from the other Korean students. However, she has also revealed that she bravely overcame the bullying she experienced.
4. Holland
Holland was bullied in school due to the fact that he was gay. When he realized his sexual preference in middle school, he confided in one of his closest friends after long contemplation. However, the friend he trusted ended up spreading his secret and he was bullied for the next three years. He was even afraid to go into the cafeteria during lunch due to worries that he might run into those who bullied him. Those he thought were his friends came into the classroom where Holland was alone and assaulted him. Then they tied a rope around his neck and dragged him around the schoolyard while the other students laughed at him.
He even attempted suicide, but after a true friend gave him courage by telling him, “Your existence is not wrong”, he decided to give it another chance and fought through. He expressed his story and experience through his song “Neverland”.
5. Som Hein
Som Hein, a contestant on Mnet’s Idol School, was accused of bullying an acquaintance of hers in middle school. The victim had posted on her SNS the detailed story of what happened. Som Hein had apparently taken the victim to the karaoke room, hit her with the microphone, made her kneel on the floor with spit, stepped on her with high heels, and teased her about her appearance. The reason for her bullying was because she had thought the victim talked bad about her friend. The victim uploaded a series of evidence that proved that Som Hein was, in fact, responsible for the things that she was being accused of.
Som Hein made an official apology for her behavior explaining her deep regrets for her actions. She also stepped down from the program Idol School after the first episode due to her struggles with anorexia, according to the rookie.
6. Asol
Korean rapper Asol revealed that she dropped out of school due to severe bullying. She explained that she was severely and violently bullied during middle school with her uniform being stolen frequently. After she confessed this to her parents, her mother went to visit her school teacher but everything was made to sound like it was her fault so she ended up deciding to drop out.
7. Yoo In Na
Yoo In Na had been favored by her high school teacher and as a result, had been bullied. Because she was a trainee at the time, she had long hair (students were required to cut their hair at the time) and the teachers let her do so, making other students dislike her. She revealed that the other students would replace her chair with broken ones or left food on her desk after she came back from lunch.
8. #SHARP
The two #SHARP members Seo Jiyoung and Lee Jihye were involved in a bullying scandal that led to their disbandment in 2002. The group #SHARP was created by Seo Jiyoung’s family, who was one of the wealthiest in the industry at the time, and she had apparently been unhappy about Lee Jihye’s addition to the group.
Seo Jiyoung had bullied Lee Jihye throughout their promotions together and even invited her mother and her boyfriend (Ryu Si Won at the time) at times to join. Eventually, the group disbanded in 2002 during which Seo Jiyoung had allegedly tried to pay off her manager to lie for her at the press conference. The manager ended up revealing everything at the dramatic press conference.
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