Mina and Jimin's fractured relationship unfolds online

In a scene from tvN's "Channel AOA" from 2019, Jimin, far right, seems disinterested in Mina, second from left, as she recollects her stressful moment from K-pop career.

By Ko Dong-hwan

• Published Jul 5, 2020 5:14 PM KST
• Updated Jul 5, 2020 5:14 PM KST

By Ko Dong-hwan

After AOA former member Mina's revelation forced Jimin to quit the K-pop band, proof of their years-long unfriendly relationship from past TV acts and off-camera episodes are being unearthed one by one online.

In a recent online community post from after Jimin's news surfaced Saturday, the writer said she liked Mina the best of the band's members. The writer claimed she had given a gift to Mina at a fan meeting but later found from another fan meeting that Jimin was wearing the gift.

“I asked Jimin why she was wearing the gift that I had given to Mina, and Jimin replied she would stop stealing fan gifts from Mina,” the post read. Recalling the episode, the fan said she realized she had not known back then about the troubled relationship and “now I feel remorse as to whether what I had said out of momentary disgruntlement caused Jimin to do something mean to Mina.”

Past TV shows also hint Jimin's feelings against Mina. In 2019 on tvN's real documentary show “Channel AOA,” Mina recollected how grateful she was for her band mates when she had once been burned out and wanted to give up show business. The emotional scene showed Cho A and Seol Hyun comforting Mina ― while Jimin sits apart from the group busily working on her fingernails.

In 2014, on Arirang TV's variety talk show “After School Club,” when hosts asked AOA artists who appeared as guests which teammate was the most annoying, Jimin pointed out Mina (while Mina pointed Chan Mi).

It was also found on July 4 that the only AOA member Mina unfollowed on Instagram was Jimin, who former AOA artist Cho A also unfollowed.