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| K-pop girl group LOONA member Chuu / Courtesy of Blockberry Creative |
By Lee Gyu-lee
A person who brought up bullying allegations against Chuu, a member of K-pop girl group LOONA, has apologized for making a false accusation.
After taking to the internet earlier this week to accuse the star, 21, of bullying her when they were in middle school, the person posted a handwritten apology on a popular online community Tuesday.
"All the claims I made were exaggerated," the accuser wrote. "I was not on good terms with Kim Ji-woo (Chuu's legal name) in school. My memories have changed as time has passed ... I'm deeply sorry to Chuu, her agency Blockberry Creative, the other members and fans.
"Only after (the claim) drew so much attention, I finally realized how horrible my wrongdoing was and I was afraid … It was all my fault."
Despite the apology, Chuu's agency took a firm stand, saying it will push to take legal action against the accuser and others who made false allegations against her.
"To protect our artist, we are preparing to sue (the accusers) for defaming her with false claims," it told local news outlets Wednesday.
The bullying accusation instantly drew extensive attention as soon as it hit the internet Monday, with the snowballing bullying scandal that has engulfed the entertainment and sports industry over the past week.
The accuser claimed that Chuu stole her belongings and humiliated her in front of other classmates. Soon, two other people made similar accusations against the star.
"She made up stories about me to turn my friends against me," one of the accusers wrote, adding Chuu went to the same elementary and middle school. "She didn't physically bully me but she did psychologically."
It is unclear whether claims made by the other accusers are also false.
The agency denied all the bullying accusations the next day, warning that it will fight to bring them all to the court.
Chuu debuted as a member of the 12-member group LOONA in 2017 with the single "Heart Attack." She also has appeared in TV shows, including the most recent episode of MBC's "Hangout with Yoo," Saturday.
