While the T-ara members have refrained from issuing any official statements, Jiyeon is again facing hardship due to her past, just shortly after dealing with personal life issues.
T-ara’s founder, CEO Kim Kwang-soo, recently reignited the controversy by discussing details of the bullying incident in a broadcast, leading to a renewed wave of controversy. The statement from former member Hwayoung, who was at the center of the incident, has further fueled the debate, impacting the current T-ara members.
CEO Kim Kwang-soo appeared on MBN’s variety show “Let’s Go Go” on November 9th, revisiting the 2012 T-ara bullying incident. According to him, conflicts among the T-ara members escalated, ultimately leading to the bullying controversy. Rather than revealing the details of the situation at the time, the matter concluded with the termination of contracts for Hwayoung, who was seen as a victim, and her older sister Hyoyoung.
CEO Kim stated, “In my opinion, the T-ara members were not at fault, so we proceeded with their activities.” He mentioned that, out of concern for Hwayoung, he chose not to reveal detailed conversations. He added, “I died because of this.” He expressed regret, feeling that the incident ended T-ara’s peak era.
Following the broadcast, the T-ara bullying controversy resurfaced after 12 years. Hwayoung responded on her SNS, stating, “It’s true that I was bullied. As a new member, I was determined not to burden the existing members and tried hard to integrate, but the original T-ara members subjected me to verbal and physical abuse.”
As Hwayoung’s statement spread, the fallout began to affect the T-ara members, especially Jiyeon. Comments flooded Jiyeon’s SNS posts, with users asking “Is it true you slapped Hwayoung?” and demanding she clarify her stance on the bullying incident. While some fans posted messages of support for Jiyeon, others left harsh, malicious comments.
Jiyeon is currently trying to regain her composure after announcing her divorce from baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun. Early last month, they shared that they had “failed to overcome their differences, agreed to divorce following a period of separation, and submitted a mediation application to the Seoul Family Court to proceed with the divorce process.” After being surrounded by multiple divorce rumors, their official separation announcement drew even more public attention. Jiyeon was just beginning to sort out her feelings and overcome her pain, but now, with the past incident from 12 years ago resurfacing, she is facing yet another hardship.
Source: Naver
