During the November 9 episode of MBN’s variety show “Let’s Go Go”, CEO Kim Kwang-soo appeared as a guest.
CEO Kim began by recounting, “There was that infamous T-ara incident, which caused my reputation to plummet.” In 2012, member Ryu Hwayoung clashed with her bandmates, leading to a “bullying scandal”. That year, Hwayoung left the group, and T-ara, once at the peak of their popularity, saw their fame decline as the scandal’s “bullying” label stuck.
Kim Kwang-soo recalled, “Though everything is out in the open now, at the time, audiences wouldn’t even clap for 10 minutes.”
He explained that Hwayoung had twisted her ankle during a music program appearance, appearing with crutches at the airport for an overseas schedule. When asked about her injury, the manager said it was a sprain, not a fracture. While other members practiced over 20 songs to adjust to Hwayoung’s absence, she later performed a song on stage. CEO Kim praised her for performing despite the injury.
Continuing, CEO Kim said, “The other T-ara members came to me and said, ‘We went through so much; we wish Hwayoung would apologize.’ I told them I’d talk to her when we returned to Korea and ask her to apologize. But right after we returned, a KakaoTalk conversation was leaked, and chaos ensued.”
For the first time on television, CEO Kim disclosed, “I had both Hwayoung and her twin sister Hyoyoung bring in their contracts and tore them up, telling them, ‘Leave. I’ll release you without any conditions. Go pursue your careers.’ But online, rumors spread that Hwayoung was bullied. Parents of T-ara members even suggested a press conference and sharing the KakaoTalk messages. I stopped them, saying, ‘They’re young; what about Hwayoung and Hyoyoung’s future?’ Ultimately, I took the blame, thinking the T-ara members weren’t at fault.”
He added, “I thought ‘If I stop here, they’ll never recover and continue their careers’, so I told them, ‘I’ll take the heat; you need to move forward.’ That was a huge crisis for me, and in a way, it might still be ongoing.”
When asked if he regretted his choices, CEO Kim replied, “T-ara sometimes visits on my birthday, and that’s when I cry the most. I regret not enduring a bit more back then. I feel so sorry for them. This incident, after 40 years in entertainment, is still my biggest regret. The group could have gone even further, but one decision affected their lives.”
Source: Daum
