▲ This photo, provided by SOURCE MUSIC, shows LE SSERAFIM’s member Kim Ga-ram. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by SOURCE MUSIC, shows LE SSERAFIM’s member Kim Ga-ram. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Apr. 6 (Yonhap) -- Entertainment Agency HYBE denied the bullying scandal surrounding the member Kim Ga-ram of the upcoming girl group LE SSERAFIM.

HYBE commented about its subsidiary label SOURCE MUSIC on Wednesday and said, "As a result of confirming the allegations raised through some online sites, we believe that there is a lot of malicious intent to smear artists who are about to debut."

Recently, online communities and social media have raised claims that Kim Ga-ram, who was unveiled as the second member of LE SSERAFIM, was involved in school violence in middle school.

HYBE claimed, “The accusations have been edited with malicious intent to make an issue of problems that the member faced while making friends right after entering middle school.”

“A third party has confirmed that the member was a victim of malicious rumors and cyberbullying during her middle school days,” emphasized the agency.

HYBE then said, "We confirmed that the rumors were not true at all, such as that the member was a trainee at another agency or that the company's internal documents have been leaked.”

In this regard, HYBE said, "We have launched legal action against the spread of one-sided, exaggerated, or false rumors.”

The agency said, "The allegations raised contain defamation of character against a member who is still a minor before she is a celebrity," adding, "We will take legal action without any agreement or leniency to the subject who raised the suspicion."

LE SSERAFIM is the first girl group to be introduced by HYBE, led by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk.

The upcoming group gained attention as former IZ*ONE members Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chae-won joined the team and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk took charge as the head producer.

(END)

 

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]