DSP Media Releases Official Statement Regarding Former APRIL Member Hyunjoo And Bullying Allegation

Due to claims made by the alleged brother of APRIL‘s former member, Lee Hyunjoo, the other members have been embroiled in a bullying accusation. DSP Media released an official statement to address the issue.

In the statement, DSP Media clarified that Lee Hyunjoo had wished to be an actress all along but agreed to join APRIL for her debut. They claimed that Lee Hyunjoo later faced difficulties from the mental and physical strain of promoting and was unable to fully participate in group activities. And eventually, the former member expressed her wish to withdraw from the group.

After her debut was confirmed, however, Lee Hyunjoo was unable to diligently participate in the team activities due to physical and psychological problems. It is not only Lee Hyunjoo but also the other members who faced both visible and invisible difficulties from the divide that stemmed from this. As everyone involved had suffered and gone through a hard time, we cannot come to a definite judgment as to who is the victim and who is the perpetrator — purely from the situation at that point in time.

Ultimately, Lee Hyunjoo expressed her desire to leave the team during the ‘Tinkerbell’ promotions. Although the company tried to dissuade her, we eventually complied with her wishes and agreed on her withdrawal from APRIL. In this process, Lee Hyunjoo and the APRIL members all dealt with hardships and the company feels responsible for this.

— DSP Media

DSP Media explained that since her departure from APRIL, they have been actively supporting Hyunjoo in her endeavors to become an actress and an idol. They concluded by asking the public to refrain from spreading any more unfounded rumors.

Afterward, we have been fully supportive of the acting career that Lee Hyunjoo has pursued. In addition, when she wished to promote as an idol again, we had supported her endeavors as well. It is clearly true that the company has been supportive of her whenever and wherever possible, with all the various activities in the various fields even after she left the group.

— DSP Media

The full statement can be read below.

Hello, this is DSP Media.

We would like to share our official statement regarding the recent issue around Lee Hyunjoo and the APRIL members.

First, we would like to explain Lee Hyunjoo’s departure from APRIL in detail. Lee Hyunjoo entered the company as a trainee for acting. As we were producing APRIL, we convinced Lee Hyunjoo and her family to debut with the team — and she agreed, although she wished to be an actress.

After her debut was confirmed, however, Lee Hyunjoo was unable to diligently participate in the team activities due to physical and psychological problems. It is not only Lee Hyunjoo but also the other members who faced both visible and invisible difficulties from the divide that stemmed from this. As everyone involved had suffered and gone through a hard time, we cannot come to a definite judgement as to who is the victim and who is the perpetrator — purely from the situation at that point in time.

Ultimately, Lee Hyunjoo expressed her desire to leave the team during the ‘Tinkerbell’ promotions. Although the company tried to dissuade her, we eventually complied with her wishes and agreed on her withdrawal from APRIL. In this process, Lee Hyunjoo and the APRIL members all dealt with hardships and the company feels responsible for this.

Afterwards, we have been fully supportive of the acting career that Lee Hyunjoo has pursued. In addition, when she wished to promote as an idol again, we had supported her endeavors as well. It is clearly true that the company has been supportive of her whenever and wherever possible, with all the various activities in the various fields even after she left the group.

Both Lee Hyunjoo and the members face damages due to unverified guesswork. We desperately appeal for everyone to refrain from creating and expounding on unverified facts and rumors. We apologize for the delay in delivering this statement. Thank you.

— DSP Media