Stray Kids' Hyunjin admits to bullying, takes hiatus from performing

Stray Kids's Hyunjin Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

By Park Ji-won

K-pop boy band Stray Kids' member Hyunjin has admitted to bullying a schoolmate when he was in middle school and decided to take an indefinite hiatus from performing as a gesture of apology.

JYP Entertainment, the boy band's agency, released a statement saying Hyunjin would reflect on himself by taking a break from performing on stage.

Stressing that it took some time to release the statement as it looked for the best way for Hyunjin to step away from working, JYP Entertainment said, “Hyunjin will not engage in any form of activity as a celebrity for the time being and reflect on himself. He will reflect on himself for hurting many people with his blunt and inappropriate remarks and apologize to them while trying his best to help them recover.”

The statement came after a netizen claiming to be the victim of school bullying by Hyunjin wrote online last week that the idol and his male friends made abusive remarks against her in a chatroom.

She said, “I was ridiculed by Hyunjin and his male friends for strange reasons, such as ordering others to close the back door and for getting too much food from the cafeteria … At the end of the semester in winter when I was a sophomore in middle school, I was invited to a chatroom joined by my classmates, and Hyunjin and many male schoolmates started to use abusive language, which included insulting my parents and sexual harassment. They accused me (of being weird) because I don't have a mother.”

His fans were divided by the allegations, with some asking him to leave the team, while others said they will wait for his return.

The revelation came amid a series of K-pop idols and athletes being accused of bullying in school, with growing calls for the National Assembly to legislate stronger prevention and punitive measures against such abuses.

For example, Soojin of K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE and Monsta X's Kihyun have been accused of bullying their schoolmates in the past. The two denied the allegations, but admitted to immature behavior when they were students. Seventeen's Mingyu was also embroiled in such allegations, but denied any wrongdoing.