The handling of HYBE received strong reactions from netizens, many of whom sided with the alleged victim and criticized the agency for desperately defending Kim Garam.
HYBE's response to the statement regarding the alleged bullying by Kim Garam LE SSERAFIM received strong reactions from netizens. The agency also drew a lot of criticism.
Through his attorney, the alleged victim of bullying Kim Garam who goes by the name Yoo Eunseo claimed that he suffered from being bullied by the rookie idol during their school years.
According to the legal representative of the law firm Daeryun, Yoo Eunseo suffered from "extreme anxiety" due to bullying, which prompted her to try to take her own life.
However HYBE claims that law firm Daeryun is distorting the truth by only telling one side of the story. The agency insisted that Kim Garam was not the bully as alleged.
HYBE's handling of the situation has now received strong reactions from netizens, many of whom sided with Yoo Eunseo and criticized the agency for desperately defending Kim Garam.
Various comments from Suudzon also appeared, starting from Kim Garam who has strong connections at HYBE, to the 2005-born idol who may have a big company secret.
"I really wonder what power Kim Garam has so HYBE released a statement saying he was a victim when there were many accusations against him as a perpetrator. I feel sorry for the victim and his members," commented netizens.
"No company will try this hard to defend a rookie. Now I want to know what is the job of Kim Garam's parents. Besides, the HYBE staff who continue to defend him deserve to go to jail with Garam," added another netizen.
Garam made the victim's life a mess by bullying them to the point that they tried to take their own life. But HYBE instead threatened the victim for speaking up, making Garam a victim. Who are the parents of this girl? Why is HYBE protecting criminals? concluded another.
Some netizens accused HYBE of not fully checking their idol's background. Others claim that the agency was well aware of Garam's alleged actions before his debut, but left it at that.
According to the HYBE statement, the agency is still in the process of investigating and taking legal action. On the other hand, Source Music canceled LE SSERAFIM's entire schedule for today. (wk/chus)
