Singer trainer, etc. “The rumor of Hwayoung bullying is true”
“There was a time when I came here with red cheeks” also revealed
As the battle between former agency CEO Kim Kwang-soo and former member Ryu Hwa-young continues over the controversy over group T-ara’s bullying, an official testified that “the rumors of Hwayoung’s bullying are true.”
On the 15th, YTN Star released an interview with two officials who were in charge of rap training for trainees and artists from Core Contents Media during T-ara’s past activities. Lee Joo-hyo, who was in charge of training singers under Core Contents Media between 2010 and 2013, said she had seen T-ara members’ group chat room messages when Hwayoung was unable to perform in Japan due to a leg injury.
Hwayoung Ryu. Ryu Hwa-young’s Instagram
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Mr. Lee said, “It is true that Hwayoung was bullied,” and claimed that he was shocked to see that when Hwayoung apologized for not being able to go on stage due to a leg injury, all the members responded with ‘LOL.’ He added, “Bullying doesn’t just have to be physical,” and added, “Hwayoung was very worried because of the members’ bullying, and even expressed that she wanted to quit T-ara.”
In addition, trainer Tarae, who worked with Core Contents Media from 2010 to 2011, said, “One day, Hwayoung came in with red cheeks, so I asked her why, and she just gave a vague answer. Anyone who saw it could tell that it was a mark from a hit.” He said, “I asked Hwayoung (Hwayoung), ‘I think you got hit by this?’ and only then did she say, ‘I got hit by OO.'” He revealed that there was also violence between the members.
The T-ara bullying incident that caused an uproar in the entertainment industry in 2012 is being mentioned again after 12 years. At the time, he was the CEO of T-ara’s agency. When Kim Kwang-soo, CEO of MBK Entertainment, mentioned the ‘Hwayoung bullying controversy’ on a recent broadcast, saying, “T-ara did nothing wrong,” former T-ara member Ryu Hwa-young, who was involved, refuted, “It’s true that she was bullied.”
On the 10th, Ryu Hwa-young asked on Instagram, “What is the purpose of making a distorted statement by mentioning real names on the air about a story that happened 12 years ago?” and “I will tell you the truth with difficulty because I feel that I need to correct the wrong parts.” He said. He then claimed, “The story about being bullied is true. It is a lie to say that I was bullied when I was in T-ara, but I was bullied, so-called ‘victim cosplay’.” He continued, “As a new member of T-ara, I tried to integrate with the members with the compulsion not to cause any harm to the existing members. However, the existing members of T-ara assaulted me and used numerous verbal abuse.”
Ryu Hwa-young also explained in detail the controversial ‘ankle injury’ incident. He said, “After I injured my ankle, I apologized to the members several times. Even when I couldn’t perform on stage in Japan because I sprained my ankle, I asked the director to let me sing at least one song.” He added, “The members must have suffered several times because of me. “I felt sorry for them and thought I should sing at least one song,” he said.
He said, “I had a lot of material to prove the fact of bullying, but CEO Kim suggested, ‘If you keep silent without holding a press conference, I will also terminate the contract of my older sister, who was in the same agency at the time.'” He added, “I was only 20 years old and thought that was the best.” In the end, I left without receiving an apology and have been keeping quiet for 12 years.” “Afterwards, the T-ara members appeared on various entertainment shows and put an end to the bullying incident among themselves by expressing a different stance from the fact that ‘I never bullied them.’ He also said, “I spilled it.”
T-ara’s past activities
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Previously, CEO Kim said on a broadcast, “The rest of the members re-practiced over 20 songs to fill Hwayoung’s vacancy after she broke her leg during a performance in Japan in 2012 to fit a new movement path,” and “Other T-ara members came and asked Hwayoung to sing.” “He said he wanted an apology, but he put it to rest by saying, ‘My parents are here too, so I’ll talk to them when I get back to Korea.’”
Meanwhile, rumors about T-ara spread in Korea, and CEO Kim eventually terminated the contracts of sisters Hwayoung and Hyoyoung without conditions. However, CEO Kim said that this decision actually fueled the ‘T-ara bullying theory.’ He said, “The members’ parents said, ‘Let’s hold a press conference and reveal all the KakaoTalk messages, etc.’, but I died while considering that friend’s (Hwayoung) position.” He continued, “Because T-ara did nothing wrong, I pushed ahead with the broadcast. I feel sorry for the T-ara members. “I did,” he said.
After leaving the team in 2012, Ryu Hwa-young turned to acting and appeared in dramas such as ‘Age of Youth’, ‘Beauty Inside’, and ‘Player 2: War of the Clans’.
Reporter Kim Hyeon-jeong khj27@asiae.co.kr
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