After his scandalous past was revealed, Maroo Entertainment has released a statement detailing Han Jong Yeon‘s withdrawal from the show.
Han Jong Yeon drew heavy criticism following the initial reports that he forced a classmate to masturbate in public and as a result, he will no longer participate on the show. Following the initial revelation, Kangto Lee uploaded additional screenshots of messages confirming that there were witnesses to the bullying.
Maroo Entertainment stated that they met with the victims of Han Jong Yeon’s actions and expressed their sincere apologies. They also said that Han Jong Yeon will be taking the time off to reflect on his actions and improve his character and personality.
Maroo Entertainment’s full statement reads,
“Hello, this is Maroo Entertainment, the agency managing Han Jong Yeon.
“We are here to address Han Jong Yeon’s controversy regarding his past in primary school. His past recently came to light through various social networking sites and dissappointed many of his fans along with viewers of the show Produce 101 Season 2. After learning of these truths, our agency went to meet the victims of Han Jong Yeon to personally apologize for his actions and to assure that Han Jong Yeon is in deep reflection.
Through this incident, everyone at the agency and Han Jong Yeon bow down to apologize to the people who suffered because of Han Jong Yeon, the producers of the show, CJ E&M, the many trainees who are dreaming and working for their future, the viewers of the show and the many fans who rooted for Han Jong Yeon.
We especially apologize to the people who suffered because of Han Jong Yeon and to further express our apologies – Han Jong Yeon has voluntarily decided to step out off Produce 101 Season 2.
After stepping off the show, Han Jong Yeon will enter a period of deep reflection over his actions. We want to add that the author of a post that detailed forceful masturbation and other allegations has been found to have made false statements. Han Jong Yeon never made anyone masturbate and people who spread false rumors will be dealt with lawful prosecution from the authorities.
We deeply apologize to the many people who supported Han Jong Yeon and we, as his agency will strive to show Han Jong Yeon’s better self after this break and meet his fans through our better, improved efforts.”
— Maroo Entertainment
Source: Sports Chosun
