K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE member Soojin has personally denied bullying and assaulting her classmate when they were in middle school.
Soojin is currently swept in a controversy after the older sister of her classmate at Waw Middle School made an online post and accused her of school violence and bullying.
The older sister said Soojin called her younger sister and her friend to the bathroom and made them slap each other and claimed Soojin slapped her younger sister, took her money and bullied her.
Actress Seo Shin-ae, who also attended the same school, posted an Instagram story and wrote, “None of your excuse,” apparently referring to the Soojin controversy.
Soojin, Seo Shin-ae and (G)I-DLE are currently in the top 10 trending search terms on the Korean portal Naver.
Soojin and her classmate, who were both born in 1998, attended the Waw Middle School located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. Middle school in Korea is for 12 to 15 years old and Soojin, who was born on March 9, 1998, is currently 22 years old.
Amid the controversy, Soojin posted a statement on Cube Entertainment’s U Cube app and denied the allegations against her. She wrote:
“First, I have never assaulted my friend. Second, I have never ridden a motorcycle. Third, I have never sent a group text message to bully someone. Fourth, I did not steal any school uniform or other belongings. Fifth, I never had a conversation with actress Seo Shin-ae in school,” Soojin wrote.
Soojin said she wore clothes that did not suit her age and smoked a few cigarettes out of curiosity but she has never smoked since then.
Regarding her classmate, Soojin said she considered her as a friend. She said she had memories of eating at her friend’s house and watching a movie with her and her older sister.
Soojin added that she is thankful to her classmate’s older sister for giving her advice to report to the police when she got a threatening text message from a school senior.
She said the reason why she and her classmate quarreled was because her friend broke her promise.
“It was not just once or twice and I remember being upset about it. I did not know she was trying to keep me away. That is why I'm so embarrassed but I remember cursing at her . The older sister answered her phone and she scolded me. I said sorry to her sister and hung up. After that, we became completely separated and had bad feelings for each other,” she said.
She added, “I am sorry for causing controversy over my personal life. I apologize to all those who have been hurt by the embarrassing behavior.”