By Dong Sun-hwa
The bullying allegations against Kim Ga-ram, a member of rookie K-pop girl group Le Sserafim, have resurfaced, after a photo believed to be of a school document, identifying her as the perpetrator of violence, was revealed online.
An internet user, whose identity has been withheld, shared a document titled, "Notice of results by the committee for countermeasures against school violence," Sunday.
"We notify the measures to be taken based on Articles 16 and 17 of the Act on the Prevention and Countermeasures of School Violence," reads the document. In the document, Kim Ga-ram is stated as the perpetrator, whereas the name of the victim has been concealed.
Local media outlet Money Today contacted Kim's middle school to find out whether it is a forged document, but the school reportedly said that it could not answer.
Kim's management company, Source Music ― a label under K-pop powerhouse HYBE ― said its stance has not changed since it released its first statement denying the allegations against Kim in April.
"We just initiated legal action against the rumors and the details will be disclosed through legal procedures," the company said, Monday, without commenting on the authenticity of the document circulating online.
Prior to the debut of Le Sserafim, some online users accused Kim of bullying her schoolmates while she was a middle school student, but Source Music denied the accusations, saying she was actually a victim of bullying instead. During Le Sserafim's first press conference on May 2, Kim told reporters that it was hard for her to speak about the issue at the moment. The group's leader, Kim Chae-won, added that they were still discussing and handling the issue with their company.
"I think we will soon have another chance to talk about this," Chae-won said at the time.
Le Sserafim, the first girl group launched by HYBE that also represents K-pop behemoth BTS, made its debut with the album, "Fearless." The six-piece act ― consisting of Kim Chae-won, Kim Ga-ram, Hong Eun-chae, Kazuha, Sakura and Huh Yun-jin ― sold more than 300,000 copies of its debut album during the first week of its release, according to album tracker Hanteo Chart. This figure is the highest record for any K-pop girl group.
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| Kim Ga-ram of K-pop girl group Le Sserafim / Courtesy of Source Music |
An internet user, whose identity has been withheld, shared a document titled, "Notice of results by the committee for countermeasures against school violence," Sunday.
"We notify the measures to be taken based on Articles 16 and 17 of the Act on the Prevention and Countermeasures of School Violence," reads the document. In the document, Kim Ga-ram is stated as the perpetrator, whereas the name of the victim has been concealed.
Local media outlet Money Today contacted Kim's middle school to find out whether it is a forged document, but the school reportedly said that it could not answer.
Kim's management company, Source Music ― a label under K-pop powerhouse HYBE ― said its stance has not changed since it released its first statement denying the allegations against Kim in April.
"We just initiated legal action against the rumors and the details will be disclosed through legal procedures," the company said, Monday, without commenting on the authenticity of the document circulating online.
Prior to the debut of Le Sserafim, some online users accused Kim of bullying her schoolmates while she was a middle school student, but Source Music denied the accusations, saying she was actually a victim of bullying instead. During Le Sserafim's first press conference on May 2, Kim told reporters that it was hard for her to speak about the issue at the moment. The group's leader, Kim Chae-won, added that they were still discussing and handling the issue with their company.
"I think we will soon have another chance to talk about this," Chae-won said at the time.
Le Sserafim, the first girl group launched by HYBE that also represents K-pop behemoth BTS, made its debut with the album, "Fearless." The six-piece act ― consisting of Kim Chae-won, Kim Ga-ram, Hong Eun-chae, Kazuha, Sakura and Huh Yun-jin ― sold more than 300,000 copies of its debut album during the first week of its release, according to album tracker Hanteo Chart. This figure is the highest record for any K-pop girl group.
