The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of South Korea has temporarily made an internal audit document from HYBE public. In the internal report from HYBE, former LE SSERAFIM member Kim Garam’s scandal was also addressed:
“When Garam was first introduced, she received many compliments for her beauty, being compared to actresses Go Youn Jung and Go Min Si. However, the controversy surrounding her past erupted the very next day, causing significant negative backlash. Although there was no compelling evidence of bullying, rumors that she was expelled from Starship due to ‘attitude issues’ further fueled the fire. The most damaging accusation involved a photo with the word ‘s*x’ written on a board, raising concerns about derogatory nicknames being attached to her even after the rumors were clarified.
Before aespa’s debut, Instiz was buzzing with false rumors. In the end, those rumors actually served as promotional material for aespa. Additionally, the phrase ‘defeat IVE’ written on the board naturally led to competition with IVE even before LE SSERAFIM debuted, which was highly beneficial for the rookie group. In any case, the division between Jang Wonyoung & An Yujin and Sakura & Kim Chaewon had already formed. If this could be publicly turned into a competitive narrative and lead LE SSERAFIM to surpass other rookie girl groups, it could result in a positive trend.
Moreover, the photo of the board was taken before Garam transferred schools, so this incident had no connection to her. If the rumors about Garam being removed from IVE’s lineup are false, this could even lead to interesting moments, such as covering IVE’s songs to flip the narrative against the rumor spreaders.
Competing with Wonyoung on Music Bank could be a good way to boost Garam’s image. In fact, Sullyoon being forgotten in the process also brings some benefits.”
In 2022, just a few days after her debut, several individuals accused Kim Garam, believed to be her former classmates, of having participated in school violence and using inappropriate language toward seniors and other idols outside her company. HYBE and SOURCE MUSIC repeatedly denied the rumors, asserting that Kim Garam was actually the victim of school violence. However, the statements from HYBE and SOURCE MUSIC failed to convince the public. Netizens sided with the accusers as a series of past photos of Kim Garam were released as evidence.
Later, on the morning of July 20, 2022 on LE SSERAFIM’s Weverse page, HYBE and SOURCE MUSIC issued a statement announcing that they had terminated Kim Garam’s contract and she officially left the group.
