Amid a growing public debate following former T-ara member Hwa Young’s immediate rebuttal of CEO Kim Kwang Soo’s comments, a former employee of Core Contents Media has come forward with explosive allegations.
On Sunday, an individual posted on an online forum claiming to have worked at Core Contents Media, the agency once responsible for managing the K-pop group T-ara.
The person stated, “I’m here to reveal the truth about the T-ara incident. I’ll briefly address what happened.” He claimed, “Hwa Young had a family member close to an executive at the company. At that time, Hwa Young’s older sister, Hyo Young, was set to join T-ara, but she decided to step aside and let Hwa Young take her place.”
The individual further alleged, “In a sense, Hwa Young joined the group not because of her talents or appearance but because of her connections. Naturally, the other members must have viewed her with disdain. Even the staff at the time could see that Hwa Young had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the group.”
He added, “The existing members of T-ara had such strong personalities that even Areum, who joined the group after Hwa Young, struggled to adjust.” He also confirmed, “The allegations of physical abuse and verbal attacks are true. I remember seeing Hwa Young crying, and when I asked her what had happened, she told me a member of the group, OO, had hit her, and she was sobbing.”
The individual continued, “At the time, I couldn’t believe it either, but even the staff could see that the other T-ara members were indifferent to Hwa Young’s mistreatment.”
Kim Kwang Soo: “T-ara Did Nothing Wrong” → Hwa Young: “Distorted Statements”
The individual, who has confirmed the bullying rumors within T-ara, also remarked, “There are still many celebrities in the entertainment industry today who engage in violence and abuse their power. When I worked as an assistant, I made a few mistakes, and my supervisor beat me with a large stick several times.” He also revealed a business card he received at Core Contents Media.
On Saturday, Kim Kwang Soo, CEO of Core Contents Media, appeared on MBN’s variety show Let’s Go and discussed the internal conflicts within T-ara. He revealed, “I became aware of the discord between the members, which led to the termination of Hwa Young and Hyo Young’s contracts. That’s when the bullying rumors started. The parents of the other members came to me and suggested we reveal the truth, but I couldn’t do it. I was worried about the impact it would have on their lives.”
He continued, “The remaining members were innocent, so we decided to push forward with the broadcasts. I told them, ‘If we stop now, you’ll never recover. I’ll take full responsibility, but you need to keep going.’ That was the hardest moment for me,” he said, visibly emotional.
The day after Kim Kwang Soo’s appearance on the show, Hwa Young took to her social media to respond, stating, “After hearing Kim Kwang Soo’s comments on the variety show, I couldn’t understand why he would make such biased and distorted statements about an incident that happened 12 years ago. I felt it was necessary to correct the inaccuracies, and after much thought, I have decided to share my truth.”
She continued, “The other T-ara members subjected me to both physical and verbal abuse. I endured it because I believed that if I worked harder, things would improve.” Hwa Young asserted, “The bullying rumors are true.”
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