 |
| Lee Hyun-joo, a former member of K-pop group April, claimed she was bullied by her bandmates when she was in the group. Courtesy of DSP Media |
By Lee Gyu-lee
K-pop agency DSP Media has announced it is taking legal action against Lee Hyun-joo, a former member of girl group April, after she posted claims on social media that she had been bullied by its other members.
The agency released a statement, Saturday, denying Lee's allegations that she was verbally and physically assaulted by the other girls in the group and that it turned a blind eye to the abuse.
"The matters revealed in the post are a one-sided story that is far from the truth," the agency said. "The members and the agency have undergone unbearable suffering and losses from the claims that Lee, her friends and family have made against us, five years after she left the group."
It added, "The truth and the member's false accusations will be cleared through the legal process we are taking now."
Earlier the same day, Lee spoke out on the allegations, initially made by her brother in March, that she was ostracized by the group ― consisting of Lee Na-eun, Yoon Chae-kyung, Kim Chae-won, Yang Ye-na, Rachel and Lee Jin-sol. The singer claimed that she was bullied from the moment they started living together as trainees in 2014.
"For three years, I was assaulted, harassed, cursed at and insulted," she said. "I told my parents about the bullying, and when they talked to the agency, it blamed me. After the offenders found out about this, the bullying got even worse, and I was only allowed to talk to my parents with a manager present."
Claiming the agency did not step in to stop the bullying, she said it forced her to announce she was leaving the group to pursue an acting career in 2016.
She added that she was afraid to speak out on the matter sooner because the agency has sued her brother, who made the initial claims against the group members on her behalf in March, and her friends. "The offenders' parents are sending insulting messages to me and my parents," she said.
She also revealed the agency, which still represents her, has halted all of her media-related activities without her consent, but will not terminate her contract.
"The bullying and ostracism I experienced in the past became trauma… To protect myself, my family and friends, I'm not going to be silent anymore," she said.
The allegations surfaced last month when Lee's brother wrote on an online community that Lee suffered panic attacks and dyspnea because of her former "bandmates." He said Lee even attempted suicide, which led her to leave the group.
When they went viral, the agency admitted that there were conflicts between Lee and other members, but claimed: "It was difficult to tell who the victim was."
Following the allegations raised, the group has been met with enormous criticism, leading star member Lee Na-eun to lose ongoing projects, including a role in SBS' new series "Taxi Driver," and advertising deals.
