Rookie K-pop girl group Le Sserafim canceled their appearance on a music show and video call fan signing event scheduled on May 20 due to the growing accusations of bullying against member Kim Garam.
Le Sserafim debuted only last May 2 but Kim Garam’s bullying controversy has been hounding the group.
Kim Garam, 16, has been accused of bullying classmates in middle school. She attended the Kyeongin Middle School in Seoul.
“We would like to inform you about the schedule of Le Sserafim on May 20. Le Sserafim decided not to participate in the KBS2 ‘Music Bank’ (3 p.m.) and video call fan signing event (8 p.m.) scheduled for today,” Source Music announced on May 20.
“We apologize to the fans who have waited. Lastly, we will reveal our position on the allegations of the Le Sserafim member as soon as the review is complete,” the agency said, referring to Kim Garam.
Source Music previously said the allegations are not true and that Kim Garam is a victim of cyberbullying.
A document that allegedly came from the middle school was posted online showing the name Kim Garam as the perpetrator of school violence.
An alleged victim, through a law firm, narrated about what happened to her. The law firm said the victim was subjected to school violence by Kim Garam and her friends from the end of April 2018 to the start of May 2018.
After she could no longer endure the continuous bullying, she transferred to another school within one to two weeks after the incident.
On June 4, 2018, a school committee gave Kim Garam six hours of special education in accordance with the law “Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against Violence in Schools” while the victim received psychological counseling.
After the victim came out with her story, she received threats and ridicule from netizens. The victim attemped suicide and dropped out of school.
The law firm said the victim does not want any compensation from Kim Garam or her agency but only apology and correction of their statements.
“All we ask for is an apology and an accurate statement to be released. However, HYBE did not respond to any of our requests and Kim debuted as a girl group member while the victim is suffering psychologically,” said the law firm, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.