Former trainers of T-ara have publicly sided with Hwayoung in the girl group's past bullying controversy.
Former Core Contents Media head and current MKB Entertainment CEO Kim Kwang Soo recently appeared on the MBN show 'GabojaGO,' where he addressed the 2012 “T-ara bullying incident,” reigniting the topic. Following the broadcast, Hwayoung spoke against his claims, releasing a statement affirming that the bullying incidents were real and that the T-ara members frequently subjected her to physical and verbal abuse.
A former employee of Core Contents Media has since spoken up on behalf of Hwayoung, and more associates are now siding with the former T-ara member. One former trainer named Lee Joo Hyo, who worked with T-ara from 2010 to 2013, commented on the matter.
She stated, "It's true that Hwayoung was bullied," and mentioned that she had seen T-ara's group chat at the time. Lee recalled, "I saw the conversation in the T-ara members' group chat. Before a performance in Japan, Hwayoung had injured her leg. It was swollen, and she was unable to walk properly. Hwayoung, unable to join the stage, apologized for it. Usually, the response would be something like, 'Get well soon,' or 'Don't worry about it.' But the members all sent a message saying 'Kekekeke,' which was shocking."
Lee further stated, "As is already known, the members had posted identical messages on Twitter, targeting one person (Hwayoung) with phrases like 'Difference in will' and 'Let's applaud the genius.' Bullying is not always physical. Hwayoung struggled a lot because of the members' bullying and even expressed a desire to quit T-ara," adding that Hwayoung continued to refer to the group as 'T-ara members' even after her debut, indicating that she didn't feel a sense of belonging.
As for the cause of the internal conflict, Lee speculated, "The existing members seemed to dislike the idea of new members joining. It's not hard to understand. They might have felt that a later member was 'getting an easy ride.' I’m not defending them, but they were all young. It's not uncommon for idol members to fight or form factions." Lee also pointed out, "No one wanted to share a room with Hwayoung, and she ended up living in the living room, which the company knew about. The company should have mediated."
Another trainer, who worked with Core Contents Media around 2010-2011, named Tarae, recalled, "I didn't directly witness the bullying, but Hwayoung herself said she was struggling, and it seemed the other members were keeping quiet about it. I had a feeling something was off. At the beginning of her debut, she wasn't like that, but her condition worsened over time."
Tarae added, "Idols are often involved in factional disputes or conflicts, so I just thought T-ara was going through something similar. I didn't realize it was this serious. One day, Hwayoung came in with a red cheek, and when I asked about it, she just brushed it off. But it was clear she had been slapped. When I pressed her, she finally admitted that she had been hit by someone."
Regarding the incident where Hwayoung injured her leg, Tarae said, "When she was injured, Hwayoung apologized to the members and asked to perform, but she felt wronged due to the misunderstandings." Tarae believed, "Knowing Hwayoung's personality, I don't think she would have lied about being injured just to avoid a performance. She was ambitious and wanted to be on stage, not make excuses."
Tarae concluded, "At first, only a few people knew about the bullying rumors, but after the public learned about them, suddenly there were rumors that Hwayoung had mistreated the stylists. When I asked Hwayoung about it, she vehemently denied it and felt very wronged. The company was never on Hwayoung's side. If the company supported her, T-ara would have fallen apart. If it was bullying, it would have been a serious issue, but if Hwayoung was just causing trouble on her own, it wouldn't have been as serious. So, the company seemed to think that as long as they ruined one person, the rest of the group would be fine."
Despite several attempts to reach out to Kim Kwang Soo, the former CEO of T-ara’s agency for a comment on this issue, he did not respond.
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