LE SSERAFIM member Kim Garam got embroiled in a school bullying controversy shortly after Hybe introduced her as a member of their new girl group. Netizens accused her of underage smoking, drinking, and light bullying. HYBE Labels and Source Music has responded to all the accusations through an official statement.
Just days after she captured the attention of K-pop fans from various parts of the world as a new girl group member, the internet started getting flooded with messages about how much the young idol enjoyed day-to-day bullying in school days. Her schoolmates shared several of her past photos online, and it captured the attention of several netizens.
Source Music has denied all the accusations made against the new artist through an official statement. It stated that HYBE has confirmed that all the accusations made against the young idol were edited with malicious intent. Garam was not a school bully. She was a victim of cyberbullying and malicious rumors, the agency added.
Here is the Complete Statement by Source Music:
The controversy captured the attention of several netizens after a social media user monikered as @twit_bossss became curious about the controversy. The person quickly posted a message online seeking more details about the issue.
"But about LE SSERAFIM's Kim Garam. As soon as [her debut] was publicized, f*cking many videos and photos from here, there, and everywhere began to be uploaded... Seeing as such, I wonder just what those kids that have just barely turned 18 went through in middle school [thanks to her] that they're so determinedly wrathful" the netizen wrote.
Underage Smoking and Drinking
The message quickly captured the attention of several netizens. Some social media users claimed to have gone to the same school when the idol was there. They shared her photos and screenshots of chats. Apart from underage smoking and drinking, the young idol was accused of light bullying in school. A netizen, who claimed to be her schoolmate, accused her of bullying her friends and juniors if they did not greet her properly.
The netizens also claimed that they are several past photos of the LE SSERAFIM Member on Facebook and Twitter. Those images can prove the claims to be true. Some people could have the past pictures of Kim Garam, the person added.
"I came from the same middle school as Kim Garam, and I'm someone who was kind of close to one of the kids that went around with her. She did all sorts of things then. Light bullying, such as stopping kids from passing by whenever she filmed TikToks in school, was a given, and if you happened to pass by, she would use strong curse words or glare at you. She did whatever she wanted, but if she didn't like something, she would f*cking scold you, and she would talk about you behind your back or to your face with her group while crossing her legs. She was a kid who enjoyed such day-to-day bullying... She entered SOPA in high school, and she cut ties with everyone from middle school. To keep things straight, she sent DMs on Instagram and Facebook to everyone so she could protect her image, and she also sent messages to everyone before she changed her phone number. I don't know if she did this to confuse people purposely, but she said she was preparing to become an actress, so I don't know why she suddenly changed to being in a girl group... It's so funny. After all, she probably knew that people would expose her because she did [wrong] things", the Netizen wrote.
Past Photos of Kim Garam
The netizens also shared a screenshot of the young idol's Facebook page. The image included a selfie of her with the caption: "What do you think of [having] sex [with me] today?"
Garam's school photos along with the screenshots of chats with her friends were also shared online. One of the images featured the girl group member in the classroom. The girl group member and her friends are posing for a photo in the still. The backdrop is a black broad. The board has all kinds of explicit imagery and text.
