(G)I-DLE's Soojin wrote an elaborate post addressing 10 points mentioned in the online bullying allegations against her. She also said that she had never spoken to actress Seo Shin Ae. Following these clarifications from Soojin, her agency Cube Entertainment announced that it will take legal action against those who spread false news about the actress.
These bullying allegations had led to actress taking a hiatus from activities. The person who had levelled allegation against Soojin is said to be actress' classmate in middle school and her elder sister. Here is the clarification given by Soojin.
1. "She was my close friend"
Soojin said that the reason she clearly remembers her classmate is because she was her close friend briefly in middle school. "A long time before the girl's sister uploaded her post, I had learned from my old classmates that she was looking for old photos of me. At school, we were briefly close friends, so I still remembered the name of her sister too. When she first made her post online, I could guess who she was from her user ID," Soojin said.
2. Truth behind thrombocytopenia allegations
During the meeting with agency, the girl's sister revealed that thrombocytopenia had started in her third year of school, which was much later than when Soojin is said to have bullied her. After the face-to-face discussion, the girl and her sister changed their statement and said that while the alleged school violence had not caused the illness, it likely had an impact. At the end, the reference to thrombocytopenia was removed entirely.
3. Soojin using cuss words
Soojin admitted to have used curse words against the girl. But explaining the situation, the actress said that the girl had stood her up and cancelled the meeting after Soojin had waited for her for a long time. "Since this wasn't the first time that the girl had suddenly cancelled a meeting long after the promised meeting time, I lost my temper and cursed at her on the phone," Soojin said. She also said that the girl's sister also used curse words against her and scolded her. "After that call, the girl and I became distant," Soojin said.
4. What happened at the gym?
Soojin is said to have scolded the girl in front of a crowd. According to allegations, the girl had laughed when a student called Oh had addressed a student named Kim as Nam. Soojin is said to have scolded the girl taking Oh's side. However, Oh and Kim were in different classes and there was no chance both had met in the gym class. "I checked with all the classmates that I was still in contact with, but no one confirmed what the girl said. My fellow students and I state that this did not ever happen and that it was not a situation that could ever have happened," Soojin wrote.
5. Truth behind school violence committee meeting
"It is true that my mother was called to the school once for a school violence committee meeting. But I was called to that school violence meeting for something that had nothing to do with me. That school violence committee was for a case in which it was revealed that I had been falsely accused," Soojin said.
6. Why did first face-to-face meeting take place through representatives?
"After the girl's sister first uploaded her post, the agency sent a DM asking for a face-to-face meeting. But her sister said that the girl was uncomfortable and refused to meet. The agency respected her wishes and suggested that they meet through representatives instead," Soojin said.
7. Friends Turned Enemies?
"I remember being friends with this person from our third year of school until our graduation day. We had rehearsed together at my house for about a month and a half before graduation. My father remembers that person as well, and even remembers that in the middle of our rehearsal, the person living in the apartment below us called to complain about the noise. We exchanged songs for several months through e-mail and I still have the e-mails as proof," said Soojin.
8. About actress Seo Shin Ae's Instagram post
"I had no idea even which class Seo Shin Ae was in. I have never committed acts like putting cigarettes in her desk or stealing her graduation letters. I know nothing about Seo Shin Ae and this was the first time that I had heard such rumors about her and me," said Soojin. Soojin also requested actress Seo Shin Ae to release a statement clarifying the issue.
9. The padded coat incident!
Soojin said that such an incident never happened. "I can explain why the accuser's claims are difficult to believe. The information about the coat that was uploaded on the second hand website showed that it was not a coat that had come out when I was in middle school," the actress said.
10. Other claims
Soojin also said that she never made people slap each other, stole money and belongings, or sent messages ostracizing a student from the group. "The fact that it took me this long to make a statement does not mean that I was guilty. I needed the time to be clear on the details, because I knew that one word from me would have a big impact on other people," Soojin said.
Legal Action by Cube
After speaking to the girl and her sister who had made bullying allegations against Soojin, and collecting evidences, the Cube Entertainment has announced that it will take strong legal action against the accusers.
"We have handed over all the evidence that the agency had collected about these false claims. We will also be pursuing civil lawsuits without lenience in order to make these people take responsibility for the damages they have inflicted. We intend to continue taking strong legal action against the spread of false rumors and personal attacks with malicious intent," Soojin's agency said.
