CJ E&M has announced that BOYS24 member Hwayoung will be removed from the group, following his massive controversy last week.
In a leaked audio clip released last week, Hwayoung was heard discussing how much he hates when fans call him “oppa”. The clip immediately went viral and the backlash was swift from both Korean and international fans.
The most damaging portion of the audio has Hwayoung attacking fans, describing how much he hates hi-touch events and that fans disgust him with their “bad breath”.
I like being called oppa, not when I hear it from fans though, I fucking hate that. Ya, Fuck. It’s so annoying when we do the Hi-Touch.
You know, the Hi-Touch? Like when you hold hands and greet fans after the concert is over. Everyday I go through like 700~800 people and I feel like I’m going to puke.
Their fucking breath smells like shit.— Hwayoung
CJ E&M, the agency behind BOYS24 immediately released a statement after the audio was leaked. They apologized for the incident and even revealed that they have warned him in the past about his privacy issues and maintaining his reputation.
Now, CJ E&M and Liveworks has announced that Hwayoung will be removed from BOYS24 permanently.
“First of all, we would like to apologize to all of the fans of BOYS24 who were deeply hurt by the comments that Hwayoung made in private. We would like to inform everyone that Hwayoung has been removed from BOYS24 and that his contract will be terminated.
This has been decided due to the same reason we mentioned in our statement on the 8th. We are concerned that his controversy may tarnish the image of the entire group of BOYS24 and twist the true feelings of the other members towards the fans who support and cheer them on at every performance in which they do their utter best to perform. This is why we have decided to exclude him from the group as well as cancel his exclusive contract as an artist.
We are sorry to all the fans who have continued to support and cheer for BOYS24 and we promise to do our best to show off a better BOYS24 performance in the future. Thank you very much for all your support and generosity. Thank you.”
– CJ E&M and Liveworks Company
However, last night prior to CJ E&M’s statement removing Hwayoung, one anonymous poster claimed she was the original leaker of the clip.
In a post made on a Korean community board, the poster claims she manipulated him into insulting fans and also edited the audio clip that was leaked. She claims to be a friend of Hwayoung’s ex-girlfriend. There is no proof that she is the original leaker and the post was made on an anonymous account with zero proof.
“Hello I’m the original uploader of the audio file. I knew at the time that the effect of the audio file would be quite big, but because the “BOYS24” isn’t very popular and Hwayoung isn’t that famous I didn’t think it would become one of the most trending topics…
The reason I’m saying these things is because although this won’t change anything, what happened is weighing heavily on my conscience and I feel guilty. I was a fan of BOYS24 Hwayoung and I frequently attended their concert. I knew that my friend was his ex-girlfriend but I didn’t know the details of their relationship.
While talking to my friend I heard many things about Hwayoung and evidence to prove her stories and out of anger and feeling betrayed I edited multiple audio files into the recording that everyone heard. I asked him questions and led him to answer it in such negative ways and after multiple attempts I edited the recordings to make it seem like one long recording.
I did not realize things would get so out of hand. I’m sorry.
— Anonymous User
Regardless if the post is factual or not, the facts remain that Hwayoung said what he said. It appears CJ E&M has removed him from the group due to this fact and his past actions referred to in their original statements.
