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| Shin Jimin, right, has decided to leave girl group AOA and halt all activities amid bullying allegations. Left is former AOA member Kwon Mina. / Korea Times file |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Shin Jimin has decided to leave girl group AOA and halt all of her activities after admitting to bullying her former bandmate Kwon Mina.
The singer's agency FNC Entertainment released a statement on Saturday, apologizing for causing concern through events surrounding Shin that have been unfolding recently.
"From this moment forth, Jimin has decided to leave AOA and halt all of her activities in the entertainment industry," FNC Entertainment said in a statement. "We take full responsibility for this situation, and we will manage our artists more carefully in the future."
The announcement came after Shin, the leader of AOA, posted a public apology on social media after visiting Kwon to talk things out.
"I can't express everything in a short piece of writing, but I'm sorry. I'm not good enough to lead a group and what I did was wrong. I realized that I didn't understand Mina well during the time we spent time together. When I was younger in my early 20s, I believed that our group should show only good sides to our staff and the public. However, I realized that I lacked a humane side as a leader," Shin wrote on Instagram.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble. Most of all, I sincerely apologize to Mina and our members, who made a lot of effort to sort things out between the two of us."
On Friday, Kwon, who left the girl group in 2019, came forward to say that she had been bullied by Shin for a decade.
Kwon alleged that she even contemplated suicide.
"Around the time of my dad's passing, I cried once in a waiting room. She (referring to Shin) dragged me to the closet and told me not to cry because I was ruining everyone's mood," she said.
"Another time, she forced me to take mood stabilizers and sleeping pills so I could fall asleep while moving to our next scheduled appearance. I felt like my life was falling apart. I even attempted suicide because of her."
After Kwon's first allegation, Shin posted the word "fiction" on Instagram in response, which was believed to be a dismissal of the former member's allegations. She later deleted the post.
Then, Kwon posted a photo of her wrist with multiple scars along with a message asking Shin to admit what she'd done and apologize.
"I'm undergoing treatment, but I still have nightmares. Please admit your wrongdoings and apologize to me in person," Kwon wrote on Instagram.
AOA debuted as an eight-member girl band in August 2012, originally operating as two sub-units ― a band (with members playing instruments) and a dance group. When the band unit disbanded due to the success of the dance group, drummer Seo Youkyung left the group in 2016. Park Choa, the main vocalist, left the group in 2017 and Kwon left in 2019. Their hits include "Miniskirt," "Short Hair" and "Bingle Bangle."
