News Garam shares statement about bullying accusations (1 Viewer)

[Abeamus]

On August 10, Kim Garam uploaded a statement to her friend’s Instagram account, sharing her side for the first time since leaving LE SSERAFIM. She began with an apology before sharing, “Since I worked hard towards my dream, it’s true that I was honestly scared my dreams would be shattered because of my past actions. However, as each day went by, I became more scared of all the accusations made against me.”

Kim Garam then firmly stated that she had never hit or inflicted violence against anyone, been forced to transfer schools, smoked cigarettes or drank alcohol, or bullied anyone. She added, “I was just a regular student.”

Regarding the specific incident that led to Kim Garam receiving Degree 5 disciplinary action from the school violence committee, she explained that in her first year of middle school, a classmate referred to as “Yoo” was gossiping and uploading photos of other students in their underwear.

Kim Garam continued, “Thinking that I was helping the victim, I confronted Yoo and while doing so, I also swore. At the time, I did not notice the difference between majority and minority so I was unable to think deeply about why confronting Yoo was a mistake.”

Kim Garam shared that while she thought she was being loyal and righteous at the time, she looks back now and understands she was immature. She added, “At that time, my method was incorrect and I made a lot of mistakes, but I do not want to hate my past self.”

She reflected on her two weeks of promotions with LE SSERAFIM as a dream-like and unforgettable period before adding, “I am working hard to become a better person. I’m endlessly thankful to my precious fans who love and support me.”

In response to Kim Garam’s post, her former agency HYBE shared on August 11, “Due to the termination of Kim Garam’s contract, further comments are inappropriate so there is nothing for us to say.”

Source​

 

[Abeamus]

Garams apology seems genuine and mature enough that it makes me wonder about the situation meanwhile Hybes response is just lame and sounds like they were just trying to get away from the situation rather than caring about the outcome

 

[eclipsoul]

no matter what opinion on this issue anyone had i believe we can all agree hybe massively f*cked this up and could've solved this issue in a better way for anyone involved. i hope both sides can move on (without their fans on the internet harassing each other) because at the end of the day this is still children we're speaking of.

 

[RandAlThor]

Garams apology seems genuine and mature enough that it makes me wonder about the situation meanwhile Hybes response is just lame and sounds like they were just trying to get away from the situation rather than caring about the outcome

Hybe has not covered themselves in any glory thru out.

i honestly think 12 year old Garum was trying to do the right thing, was it perfect? no but whom of us was at 12 (or if that is Korean 12 then 10 or 11)

 

[Abeamus]

Hybe has not covered themselves in any glory thru out.

i honestly think 12 year old Garum was trying to do the right thing, was it perfect? no but whom of us was at 12 (or if that is Korean 12 then 10 or 11)

The more stuff I see the more suspicious Hybe seems to me even some just bizarre thing that happened with Viviz where they went on TMI News and a celebrity lookalike segment showed Kazuha which they introduced with multiple of Lesserafims achievements during it.

I'd assume the age Garam mentions is Korean but I could be wrong

 

[lily]

Garam isn't innocent so it's good that she is no longer in the group. There's no way the netizens will let her be an idol. She got caught up in the fight and while it was bad, she was only 12 years old at the time...glad she could reflect on what she did

wishing the best for her as she goes on her normal life.

 

[lily]

And Hybe should have never debuted her in the first place. The way they handled this case was wrong on all levels.

 

[litc]

On August 10, Kim Garam uploaded a statement to her friend’s Instagram account, sharing her side for the first time since leaving LE SSERAFIM. She began with an apology before sharing, “Since I worked hard towards my dream, it’s true that I was honestly scared my dreams would be shattered because of my past actions. However, as each day went by, I became more scared of all the accusations made against me.”

Kim Garam then firmly stated that she had never hit or inflicted violence against anyone, been forced to transfer schools, smoked cigarettes or drank alcohol, or bullied anyone. She added, “I was just a regular student.”

Regarding the specific incident that led to Kim Garam receiving Degree 5 disciplinary action from the school violence committee, she explained that in her first year of middle school, a classmate referred to as “Yoo” was gossiping and uploading photos of other students in their underwear.

Kim Garam continued, “Thinking that I was helping the victim, I confronted Yoo and while doing so, I also swore. At the time, I did not notice the difference between majority and minority so I was unable to think deeply about why confronting Yoo was a mistake.”

Kim Garam shared that while she thought she was being loyal and righteous at the time, she looks back now and understands she was immature. She added, “At that time, my method was incorrect and I made a lot of mistakes, but I do not want to hate my past self.”

She reflected on her two weeks of promotions with LE SSERAFIM as a dream-like and unforgettable period before adding, “I am working hard to become a better person. I’m endlessly thankful to my precious fans who love and support me.”

In response to Kim Garam’s post, her former agency HYBE shared on August 11, “Due to the termination of Kim Garam’s contract, further comments are inappropriate so there is nothing for us to say.”

Source​

In my personal opinion, uploading pictures of fellow students/children in their underwear is worse than swearing at someone to try to stand up for your friend, both at 12.

She's reflected and seems to be genuine, and to have grown and I'm glad. Hybe should've protected her better

 

[litc]

In my personal opinion, uploading pictures of fellow students/children in their underwear is worse than swearing at someone to try to stand up for your friend, both at 12.

She's reflected and seems to be genuine, and to have grown and I'm glad. Hybe should've protected her better

Also people (kpop fans) need to stop spreading rumors and false information about her

 

[litc]

The more stuff I see the more suspicious Hybe seems to me even some just bizarre thing that happened with Viviz where they went on TMI News and a celebrity lookalike segment showed Kazuha which they introduced with multiple of Lesserafims achievements during it.

I'd assume the age Garam mentions is Korean but I could be wrong

She was 12 in international age since it was April 2018

 

[litc]

Garams apology seems genuine and mature enough that it makes me wonder about the situation meanwhile Hybes response is just lame and sounds like they were just trying to get away from the situation rather than caring about the outcome

no matter what opinion on this issue anyone had i believe we can all agree hybe massively f*cked this up and could've solved this issue in a better way for anyone involved. i hope both sides can move on (without their fans on the internet harassing each other) because at the end of the day this is still children we're speaking of.

Hybe has not covered themselves in any glory thru out.

i honestly think 12 year old Garum was trying to do the right thing, was it perfect? no but whom of us was at 12 (or if that is Korean 12 then 10 or 11)

agree with all of the above

 

[litc]

Also people (kpop fans) need to stop spreading rumors and false information about her

also the "jokes" adults are making about her, really tasteless

 

[spicy_illusion]

What I don't understand is that HYBE did everything they could to protect her and was even going to sue the accuser, but then they suddenly threw her under the bus.
Whether she is guilty or not, the way HYBE/Source Music went about this is completely the wrong way, and even after she has left the group, she's still being targeted and she's the one who's being bullied by the fans who are condemning her for apparent bullying.

I was neutral about this situation all throughout because I know that idols can be framed for something they didn't do and I also didn't rule out the possibility that she could have done it.

I don't think she's perfect and she's even admitted that, but going by this statement, it seems like she's reflected on her past actions and has learned from her mistakes. It's just a shame that her career and even her life now is ruined.

I can only hope that she still finds something she loves doing and can make a living out of it.

Shame on HYBE/Source Music for doing such a messed up job on protecting their artists.

 

[Abeamus]

In my personal opinion, uploading pictures of fellow students/children in their underwear is worse than swearing at someone to try to stand up for your friend, both at 12.

She's reflected and seems to be genuine, and to have grown and I'm glad. Hybe should've protected her better

Apparently Eunseo got a level 8 punishment and a lot of the stuff she said about Garam was in fact stuff that happened to her

 

[Abeamus]

What I don't understand is that HYBE did everything they could to protect her and was even going to sue the accuser, but then they suddenly threw her under the bus.
Whether she is guilty or not, the way HYBE/Source Music went about this is completely the wrong way, and even after she has left the group, she's still being targeted and she's the one who's being bullied by the fans who are condemning her for apparent bullying.

I was neutral about this situation all throughout because I know that idols can be framed for something they didn't do and I also didn't rule out the possibility that she could have done it.

I don't think she's perfect and she's even admitted that, but going by this statement, it seems like she's reflected on her past actions and has learned from her mistakes. It's just a shame that her career and even her life now is ruined.

I can only hope that she still finds something she loves doing and can make a living out of it.

Shame on HYBE/Source Music for doing such a messed up job on protecting their artists.

I'd disagree that Hybe did everything they could as they made their own actions meaningless the way they went around it like their first step was just trying to sue anyone who said anything while only their stans trusted them so it just made the situation seem shady.

Hybe was so unbelievably tone deaf and could not read the room at all while handling it that a 16 year old put together something that did more than anything Hybe tried to do because they ignored how their own reputation was affecting peoples willingness to trust them.

If Hybe had acted more with just the general audience in mind instead of just the fans of Lesserafim then this situation might've had a different outcome.

 

[litc]

Apparently Eunseo got a level 8 punishment and a lot of the stuff she said about Garam was in fact stuff that happened to her

Exactly that's what I saw too. That's why I really hate all these kpop fans insulting Garam, making jokes about "Hey I'm Garam, I'm gonna hit you in the head with a flower pot" and all the other stuff, and spreading false information. I hope they all admit they were wrong, treating a 16 year old like this when she didn't even do any of that. There's so many people

She didn't deserve to lose her career over swearing at a girl while trying to defend her friends when she was 12, she deserved better, and Hybe let her down just because of the fans insulting Garam and all the nonsense while Hybe were originally defending her and kpop fans not even looking beyond the surface accusations and were saying Hybe had no morals, and Hybe abandoned this teenager, this minor, just like that

Also kpop fans putting her su*cide attempt on Garam when it was bc of the fans not her

 

[litc]

I'd disagree that Hybe did everything they could as they made their own actions meaningless the way they went around it like their first step was just trying to sue anyone who said anything while only their stans trusted them so it just made the situation seem shady.

Hybe was so unbelievably tone deaf and could not read the room at all while handling it that a 16 year old put together something that did more than anything Hybe tried to do because they ignored how their own reputation was affecting peoples willingness to trust them.

If Hybe had acted more with just the general audience in mind instead of just the fans of Lesserafim then this situation might've had a different outcome.

I feel so bad for her honestly

 

[Puddles]

This whole situation has left such a bitter taste in my mouth. Garam stood up for her friend and confronted another doing despicable things. I think if this was a movie or drama, no one would have any qualms about cheering her on. Instead she was ostracised by a nation, demonised and subjected to a witch hunt. She was cheated out of her career.

 

[litc]

This whole situation has left such a bitter taste in my mouth. Garam stood up for her friend and confronted another doing despicable things. I think if this was a movie or drama, no one would have any qualms about cheering her on. Instead she was ostracised by a nation, demonised and subjected to a witch hunt. She was cheated out of her career.

Totally agree, it’s horrible

Not to mention she’s still only 16 and was 12 when this happened and the horrible jokes people have been making about her

she deserves so much better, but they already kicked her

 

[spicy_illusion]

I'd disagree that Hybe did everything they could as they made their own actions meaningless the way they went around it like their first step was just trying to sue anyone who said anything while only their stans trusted them so it just made the situation seem shady.

Hybe was so unbelievably tone deaf and could not read the room at all while handling it that a 16 year old put together something that did more than anything Hybe tried to do because they ignored how their own reputation was affecting peoples willingness to trust them.

If Hybe had acted more with just the general audience in mind instead of just the fans of Lesserafim then this situation might've had a different outcome.

Well, when you put it like that and after thinking more on how HYBE acted, I agree with you.
It's also weird that I don't remember Garam ever making a statement defending herself and giving her side of the story while being in the group and the accusations happening to her, and it's only now that she's speaking up.