What out folks! There's another K-pop scandal brewing and it doesn't look good for the world of Korean pop music! LE SSERAFIM (르세라핌), meaning I AM FEARLESS, is a 6-member girl group under HYBE and Source Music which consists of members from Japan and Korea are currently under investigation by netizens demanding that their management company, HYBE, look into 2nd announced member, Kim Garam's (born 2005) sexual social media posts and her history of school bullying. LE SSERAFIM wowed fans with their May 2, 2022 debut from their 1st mini album "Fearless".
LE SSERAFIM. Photo via Source Music.
The members of the group consist of multi-talented individuals ranging from Sakura (age 24), who is also a very talented actress, to Yunjin (age 21) a trained opera singer, Kazuha (age 19) a trained professional ballerina, to Kim Garam (age 17), known for her pure beauty.
The controversy began with Kim Garam making her debut with the group with a picture of her posing against a backboard with sexual content in the background.
Image via Kbizoom.com
A person, claiming to be Kim Garam's friend, posted on social media that Garam was forced to take the pictures without knowing what was drawn behind her. The friend also stated that once Garam found out what was drawn behind her, she asked for the pictures to be deleted. Additionally, allegations arose on Twitter stating that Garam bullied underclassmen which resulted in the classmate being hospitalized.
Kim Garam. Image via Source Music.
On the morning of April 6, 2022, Source Music and Hybe officially announced via a Twitter tweet that they would look into the matter. Many netizens are still waiting for repercussions from this matter and hope that this issue is resolved soon.
Tweet via Source Music.
This isn't the first time a K-pop idol has been accused of bullying. Soojin from the group
(G)I-dle, Cube Entertainment, also denied that she bullied classmates during middle school in South Korea last year in August 2021. After six months of allegations, Soojin left the group and the group continued with its five remaining members.
Scandals such as these have become very common in the K-pop landscape. Many Koreans feel that if one company lets go of one of their star idols, other companies should follow suit. This collective thinking in Korean society is one way of creating "equal" justice for all.
What do you think about these situations? Would this happen in your country? What repercussions would happen? Let us know!