HYBE decided to oust Kim Garam from LE SSERAFIM after dealing with bullying allegations in the past months.
It all started when HYBE released Kim Garam’s teaser photos and clips ahead of her debut with LE SSERAFIM. At that time, Korean media outlets, including Trendbiz, shared photos of her from her former classmates, showing the idol committing underage smoking and drinking.
Screenshots of her conversation with her alleged victims also came up, but HYBE and Source Music soon released a joint statement to deny the accusations against her.
A new statement, however, announced her departure instead.
HYBE Terminates Contract With Kim Garam
On July 20, Source Music released an official statement confirming its decision to terminate its contract with Kim Garam.
The company offered an apology to fans and those who have been supporting and loving LE SSERAFIM since the beginning. However, due to the controversy involving the member, it decided to terminate the contract and let the girl group promote with its five members instead.
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“We would like to provide you with information on the decision made regarding LE SSERAFIM member KIM GARAM and plans for the future activities with LE SSERAFIM. Our company has decided to terminate the exclusive contract with KIM GARAM,” it said.
Before the termination, she was still able to debut with the idol group on May 2 with FEARLESS. But soon after the bullying allegations emerged, she halted her activities and remained out of the spotlight.
Kim Garam Received Degree 5 Disciplinary Action
In the past months, Kim Garam’s supporters questioned why she received unfair treatment after the issues surfaced. It was explained that the photos and proof that she indeed bullied her former schoolmates made everything worse.
In May, a document — which was an official record from a school violence committee meeting — confirmed that Kim Garam was the perpetrator of the incident. HYBE said that the idol had truly been found guilty of school violence in 2018, but it defended her and claimed she never committed physical assault.
Per the Ministry of Education, Degree 5 is given “ to make the student perpetrator feel remorse for their actions on their own, in order to reform their mindset on violence and make them reflect on their actions through the help of a professional.”
As the issue arose, Kim Garam’s mother expressed her regret for not contesting the degree of violation as she initially believed it would help her daughter instead.
Kim Garam has not released a new statement regarding her exit.
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