There has been an update on the bullying allegations against former I.O.I member Kim So-hye and her earlier this year. On July 26, her agency, S&P Entertainment, released a statement about rumors and the current situation.
S&P Entertainment said that after Kim So-hye's debut, an anonymous netizen began creating "malicious rumors claiming to be a victim of violence in schools." As the allegations began to spread online, S&P Entertainment announced that they would take legal action against those who spread unfounded rumors. In their recent update, the agency shared that after investigation, "the netizens responsible for spreading rumors have been identified."
Kim's record label went on to share that the people responsible for posting false rumors online admitted they had uploaded them "out of curiosity and without verifying the facts." When the police investigation found that the rumor was indeed false, the netizen called for leniency while submitting an apology letter."
The company's statement went on to reveal that not only did the anonymous netizen upload the rumor without confirming the facts, but they were among those "Kim So-hye who became victims of school violence when they were in high school together."
S&P Entertainment shared at the end of its statement that the netizens in charge "acknowledged their misdeeds, but also admitted that they posted out of jealousy when they were younger." They submitted a handwritten apology letter sharing their remorse and regret."
Back in February 2021, dozens of top South Korean celebrities began being accused online of alleged bullies by anonymous netizens. Actors, idols and other celebrities began to receive a huge public backlash over rumors of violence in schools, and among these dozens of people, of course, Kim So-hye.
Although the actress, who switched careers from idol, denied the allegations at the time of the incident, she has not received much attention since she was constantly criticized.
You can read S&P Entertainment's full statement below.
After Kim So-hye's debut, an anonymous netizen began writing malicious rumors online, calling her a victim of school violence. In the course of our legal proceedings, we were able to identify those responsible for these rumors. The official admitted that they did not fact-check the rumors and that they uploaded the allegations out of curiosity. When the police investigation concluded that the content was indeed false, those responsible called for leniency and submitted a letter of apology. It was through this police investigation that we were able to determine who was responsible for the malicious rumors. The suspects went to the police station, where they admitted that the online posts were fake. It was also found that the suspect, who claimed to be a victim of bullying, was one of the perpetrators of kim so-hye's school violence when they were in middle school together. The suspects admitted their misdeeds, while also acknowledging that they posted out of jealousy when they were younger. They submitted a handwritten apology letter sharing their remorse and regret. In another case that differs from the case detailed above, when she [Kim So-hye] was in middle school, she got into an argument over a misunderstanding with another student. Although the incident led to the formation of the school's violence committee, she met with the student and apologized to them. After they talked, the misunderstanding between them was resolved. While the above students are not responsible for writing malicious rumors, we sincerely apologize for the hurt and discomfort they have suffered through the involuntary mention of this recent incident. She [Kim So-hye] will look back and reflect on her behavior in her youth. She will work harder to show an improved version of herself as an adult. We will continue to take legal action to relentlessly crack down on malicious posts that spread baseless rumors, slander or sexual harassment against our actresses. Thank you.
- S&P Entertainment
The truth has always been hidden, and now it is revealed to everyone with the confession of the rumor-mongers. Hopefully, the impact on the actress will be minimized.
This article is brought to you by "Crazy Moments", the latest K-pop information!
For more exciting content, come and follow the crazy moments