Mina, former member of K-pop girl group AOA, has revealed that she was bullied for 10 years during her trainee days and while in the girl band that drove her to attempt to take her own life.
In multiple posts on her Instagram account, Mina blamed leader Jimin for all the suffering she incurred. She debuted in AOA in 2012 and left the group in May 2019 when her seven-year contract expired. She is now an actress.
"When my dad was about to pass away, I cried in our waiting room. Then, one member dragged me to a changing area, and told me to stop crying. She told me that I was making the entire mood of the room go down. I was really scared at that time; I kept on thinking about my dad not being in this world anymore,” the 26-year-old idol wrote in one of her posts, according to SBS News.
She added, "Her words are still vivid in my head. I could just let go of all the other things she did to me, but not this. After the recording, we happened to get in the same van. I took sleeping pills to just sleep the whole ride. As time passed, I felt as if I was getting more and more damaged inside. I even thought about taking my own life because of her."
"I really didn't want to leave AOA, but I went through so much for the last 10 years and I had enough of her bullying. That's why I had to give up on AOA although I was in great terms with all the other members," Mina said.
Mina said that "recently, I heard that this member's father passed away. I felt heartbroken, as I know how hurtful it may be to her. I went to the funeral, and as soon as she saw me, she cried and apologized to me. It made my heart feel empty. What I mean is, my hatred towards her just disappeared like that. I'm okay with everything with her now, but I'm terrified. I feel like I'm completely broken inside." Jimin’s father passed away last April.
She said she got treated for depression and anxiety after leaving AOA, saying, "I knew that I would have unintentional period of blank for a bit after departing from AOA. I believed that I would be fine if I spent those times learning different things, and get treated for my depression and anxiety."
"What I didn't know was a lot of stuff can happen during that time. To be honest, I feel so worn out at the moment. Just like my haters tell me, I don't know who I am nor what I do for a living. It's not like I was born at my own will though. I'm only living for my mom,” she added.
After she posted on Instagram, Jimin posted “fiction” on her Instagram account as an apparent retort to Mina’s allegations. She later deleted it.
Mina answered her post, writing, "Go ahead and say it's fiction. Unnie, you will receive punishment for it, so don't be like this. There are witnesses and evidence. Unnie, should I reveal more stories or not? There are many more things that are annoying to write it all down. Please erase my memories too, unnie. Please."
She added that one day, she was late going to the group’s practice but because she was so scared of Jimin, she didn’t go. She tried to commit suicide on that day, she added.
Mina later revealed that Jimin and other AOA members, and their managers visited her at her home. She said they talked and later on, Jimin apologized to her although she said she didn’t remember the past events.
FNC Entertainment, AOA’s agency, has yet to issue a statement regarding the issue between the two singers.