On Nov 12th, A posted through his SNS account, “Please stop DMing me about the recent issues regarding the group Areum was once part of. What would I know? Only those directly involved would know.”
He added, “It’s a story from over 10 years ago, and Areum herself doesn’t know much about it, so I ask YouTubers and others to stop inquiring. I just wish it could be left to flow on its own. Why dig up old traces when they no longer matter?”
Areum joined T-ara in 2012 but left after just a year. In 2019, she married an older non-celebrity man, and they had two sons, but in 2023, she announced she was in the middle of a divorce and dating A.
She became the center of controversy with allegations of money demands and fraud with A, and while they reportedly broke up, they recently announced they reunited and had a third child.
CEO Kim Kwang-soo appeared on MBN’s “Let’s Go Go” on Nov 9th and addressed the 2012 T-ara bullying incident, saying, “The T-ara members were victims back then, but my handling of the situation turned them into perpetrators. It’s the one thing I regret most in my 40 years in the entertainment industry.”
Following the broadcast, Hwayoung quickly responded with a lengthy post, stating, “I truly was bullied. As a new member of T-ara, I tried hard to blend in without causing trouble, but the original members frequently used violence and verbal abuse against me.”
It was revealed that Hwayoung’s older sister Hyo-young sent Areum threatening messages at that time, saying, “If you don’t want to get hit, do it right”, “I’ll scratch your face so you can’t appear on broadcasts” and “They [T-ara] need to be hit to come to their senses.”
Regarding this, Hyo-young explained, “I was shocked by what my sister told me—that she was being bullied by T-ara members, and she felt very distressed and said she missed me. I sent those texts hoping to stop them from tormenting her, but I know it was foolish, and I still regret it. I previously apologized to Areum about the messages, but I continue to feel sorry.”
Source: Nate
