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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

T-ara’s Soyeon interviewed about her new drama + Hwayoung incident


The girl group T-ara has recently gotten into hot water following the alleged ‘bullying’ scandal, where evidence was presented from both sides, and the departure of Hwayoung.

During the filming of her drama, ‘Haeundae Lovers’, the Chosun Ilbo caught up with member Soyeon to talk about her current issues in life. They met at the agency office located in Seoul. Currently busy filming in her new role as ‘Gwan Soon’, she is now afraid of going out in public. “When it comes time to eat during filming, I’m afraid of the way people look at me so I can’t go into the restaurant.”


—–

Q: You’re filming your drama in the middle of a huge controversy.
A: If I hadn’t taken part in ‘Haeundae Lovers’, it would have been much harder. The directors (Song Hyun Wook, Park Jin Wook) always encouraged me, and that was a relief. My ‘father’ in the drama, Lee Jae Yong sunbaenim, as well as others also told me to be strong.

Q: Your role requires a strong Busan accent, it must be very challenging.
A: It’s like a foreign language. I like the Busan accent so I tried copying it, but it’s definitely different to do it as an actress.

Q: Have you ever seen yourself on the screen acting?
A: (shakes head) I am working very hard on acting, but the situation being as it is I’m afraid of turning on the television or going on the Internet. I should watch my acting and try to perform better, but I can’t handle it yet.

Q: Let’s get straight to the point. Was there a ‘bully’?
A: I also saw the ‘evidence’ the netizens uploaded online. I did think that if that was all they saw, the ‘bullying’ point of view could have made sense. It is true that there were negative feelings towards Hwayoung during our Tokyo concert. When Hwayoung claimed she couldn’t perform because of her leg, and when she was at the beauty shop by herself when we were practicing, there was a fight between the members. Following the performance, we told the President to handle this for us. Starting from that point, many things happened and we didn’t know that it would lead to Hwayoung’s departure.

Q: Are you saying that the members did not want Hwayoung to leave the group?
A: Not at all. We all learned about this through the articles. We were angry at our company. All we said was there was a point of conflict, so we asked them to find a solution. If Hwayoung leaves like this, the blame goes to all of us. But our President told us, “let’s do it like this for Hwayoung’s sake”. We felt very torn.

Q: The other members never left out Hwayoung? Is it true that there were rifts in your relationships?
A: There are 7-8 teenage girls in their ‘teens and twenties, all staying together. Everyone want to be famous and become recognized, so it’s impossible to have no conflicts at all. Every day, members fight and apologize, stay together and separate. It was a similar situation with Hwayoung. If you’re asking if we had bad relationships because of that, then everyone in our group has bad relationships.

Q: This is your first interview after the scandal.
A: I was very afraid and scared. But the other members will soon go into sitcom filming as well and will need to take questions from the media. I figured since it has to happen someday, I might as well be the first.



UPDATE [8:27 EST]

Check out the full video transcript below [no subtitles]:




Source: Chosun
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15.8.12 0

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Hwayoung leaves a secret message for fans on Twitter?


In response to the recent controversy with T-ara, Hwayoung left a message to fans on Twitter.
The former T-ara member’s post thanked her fans for their concern and asked them to discontinue their protests. She also asked for forgiveness for her actions and promised to return with an improved image.

Though the unexpected apology and request for ceasefire was surprising, there is rumored to be an alleged hidden message in Hwayoung’s post.

Fans all over the world have started to point out that if the first letters of each line of the message are read vertically, the message “Only fans know” can be seen. Because of this alleged secret message, some are saying that Hwayoung may not truly be apologizing for her actions.

Fans commented on the fact that Hwayoung did not insert a space between her words purposefully, and these speculations have spread like wild fire across the internet.

However, it’s important to note that depending on the type of browser used, the words may not align at all.

What do you think? Did Hwayoung mean to spell out “Only fans know” as a way of showing her true thoughts? Or are fans reacting to a coincidence?



Source: Money Today via Naver
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1.8.12 0

Former T-ara member Hwayoung tweets message for fans


Former T-ara member Hwayoung just tweeted a message for her fans.

She posted to Twitter on July 31 at 10:33PM KST, “To my fans, you’ve loved me until now, and I’m sorry that I’ve only given you disappointment. Please stop now, and look forward to our more mature and improved selves in the future. I apologize for making you worry during this time. I also want to apologize to my Core Contents Media family. I’ll greet you all with a better image next time.”

Fans commented, “You will never ever dissappoint us! Keep your head up, hwayoungie! We are supporting you <3,” “Be strong! Hwayoung! I’m cheering you on,” and “Please don’t cower. You might feel tortured now, but after a little time passes, they’re people who’ll be nothing. Be strong!”

What do you make of her statement?



Source: Hwayoung’s Twitter
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1.8.12 0

Petition asking for the disbandment of T-ara gains over 71,700 signatures


With more and more individuals growing frustrated over the controversy that first surfaced with the controversial tweets of the T-ara members and the announcement of Hwayoung‘s contract termination with Core Contents Media, criticisms have been pouring in for the girl group.

A petition has even been created online asking for the disbanding of the group, with the title, “Petition for the Disbanding of T-ara“. The petition’s description states, “As a group who does not take the stage seriously, and as a group who is taking the lead in the spread of bullying, a big social problem, we ask for the disbanding of this group. It seems the time has come for T-ara, a group who doesn’t even greet their sunbaes if they don’t believe the other artist to be popular enough, to face the verdict of the public. Please dissolve this group.”

The petition has so far gained over 71,700 online signatures with numbers rising quickly.

What are your thoughts on the issue?



Source: Daum
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1.8.12 0

T-ara’s Hwayoung was responsible for Jiyeon’s ‘bad attitude’?


After Core Contents Media CEO Kim Kwang Soo announced that T-ara member Hwayoung had acted in an ‘unacceptable’ manner on a number of occasions, an incident that took place between Hwayoung and Jiyeon has also been revealed.

According to an industry insider, there was an incident that took place back in 2010 where Hwayoung did not oblige with T-ara’s manager who asked the girls to prepare for their stage performance.

This brewed some quarrel amongst the girls, and Hyomin who grew tired of her attitude gave Hwayoung a piece of her mind, but Hwayoung reportedly refused to listen to Hyomin as well. Fellow member Jiyeon who was observing the situation also stepped up to say something to Hwayoung, causing the two to begin arguing. Following the fight with Hwayoung, Jiyeon was then unable to properly focus on stage, and the way the camera captured Jiyeon made it seem as though she had an attitude problem.

Meanwhile, CCM reported that Hwayoung suddenly refused to participate in T-ara’s July 27th ‘Music Bank‘ stage, with only two groups before them left to go. On the way home, Hwayoung, in front of fans and reporters, threw down her crutches and sat on the floor, threatening to yell at the managers in public.

Performance in Question:




Source & Image : Newsen via Nate
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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Two more idol groups suspected of bullying


With Hwayoung‘s controversy with T-ara coming to public light, the K-Pop industry is now attempting to take a closer look as to where these issues could be stemming from. Unsurprisingly, Hwayoung isn’t the only one suffering, as other groups came forward with their own concerns.

Reporters were able to find that the issue of bullying already has strong roots within idol groups, especially with the growth K-Pop has been seeing lately. There’s a correlation between the level of an individual member’s star power and the level of discontentment within the group, as the bigger the difference there is in income, the more prone the group is to bullying.

A B list group anonymously named ‘A‘ has been battling bullying issues since their debut because of member ‘B‘, who is considered the face of the group due to her various activities in dramas and variety programs. Although she helped bring the group’s name to the spotlight, she eventually became the target of bullying due to the vast difference in their earnings.

A former manager of the group stated, “Idol groups are young in age so it’s easy for them to get swept up in emotions. The members know that the company favors to get at least one member to popularity in order to have the group follow, but they still bully that member once it happens. These days, companies have to rotate the group’s center member while eyeing the members.” 

The trainee system also plays a part in the issue since stars are picked at a young age and put through five to six years of training at the least, before having to endure hard competition to be chosen as a final member. Naturally, new members that join in the middle get faced with criticism and hate for essentially “getting a free ride.”

Girl group ‘C’ is representative of this case, as they were recently found to have been bullying their new member.


Another manager in the industry revealed, “Whenever I saw member D of group C, she was always standing alone in the hallway outside of her waiting room at music programs. The members would be so immature in the way they treated her, such as forcing her to wear the outfit concept they hated the most or giving her the most outrageous hair concepts. In the case of bigger groups, they’ll try to use the senior card to train the new member into submission by forcing them to use separate hair salons and forcing them into smaller vans.” 

The only solution at the time seems to be ample communication between both the members and the company. Pop critic Kang Tae Gyu commented, “The issue of bullying within idol groups is severe, as it’s a sensitive issue that’s difficult for the company to get themselves involved in. Managers will usually only know that it’s happening but not the inner details, and won’t try to resolve the problem since it’s not something they can make a sound judgement on.”

The critic compared the problem to homeroom teachers being oblivious to the problems of bullying within the classroom. Unlike members who are together 24 hours on top of dorming, managers are only with them for certain times of the day.

The solution he offered was that companies setup  a system that gives members an opportunity to anonymously submit issues going on within the group, and to open up communication in general. “Lack of communication can ultimately lead to bigger consequences. Just the mere notion of bullying needs to be reported immediately, and members need to be assured that their privacy will be protected.”

Another solution is for companies to make training in character and ethics mandatory.

Shinhwa‘s secret to maintaining a good relationship for 14 years also lies in their communication skills. Leader Eric had stated, “While promoting, there are times when we get sensitive, which later erupts into fights. There are a lot of instances where we even physically fought each other. There were issues, but we ended it there. We all worked hard to resolve them through communication.”

SISTAR overcame similar problems, as previously revealed by Dasom, “I used to believe that I wasn’t of any help to the team and felt envious of Hyorin and Bora unni. I wanted to be acknowledged and win over the unnis too and felt upset when I couldn’t. Every time I felt that way, though, the unnis consoled me, which helped a lot in bringing up my self confidence again.”






Source + Photos: Joongang via Naver
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31.7.12 0

Netizens dig up evidence of Hwayoung being bullied? T-Jinyo group formed demanding truth


Amidst the heated controversy surrounding Core Contents Media, T-ara, and Hwayoung, netizens have discovered further evidence to prove the speculated rumors regarding Hwayoung being bullied to be true.

On November 6, 2011, a post titled, “Being an outcast.. Really is difficult and tiresome“, was uploaded onto Nate Pann, an online community forum, under the username ‘Suk Ryu’ (Ryu is Hwayoung’s last name).

Although the post has yet to be confirmed, netizens have speculated it to indeed be Hwayoung, as it well matched her current situation.

The message read:

Hello. I’ve been contemplating whether I should post this or not, but have decided to write a few things..

The group I’m in is… A group everybody will know just by revealing the group’s initial. I’m a new member in the group, so it has been very awkward and because I’m also very timid, I’m unable to approach them easily… That’s one of the reasons why I’m becoming an outcast.

The original members must have strongly opposed my addition to the group…

I’m basically treated as if I’m an invisible at the dorm.

But when the cameras are rolling, they would suddenly have their arms around my shoulders.

When we’re practicing… I really feel like I’m going to die.

When I make a little mistake, I’d get criticized hearing things like, ‘You can’t even do this?’ and would get cursed at.

Even right now, I’m alone since they all went grocery shopping without me..

They’ll be back in a few hours, but I want to just forget about my singing career and leave.

However, this is the path I decided to take and I’m the one who decided to join, so it’s hard to do so.

I feel a bit better now that I’ve written this.

Thank you.

Criticisms have been rising for T-ara as more “evidence” is surfacing in regards to the bullying. In addition, a website titled T-Jinyo (“We Demand the Truth from T-ara”) was formed and is rapidly seeing an increase in members by the hour.


Source: Korean Ilbo via Nate
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31.7.12 0

CCM reveals the dark side of Hwayoung, mudslinging ensues


Following their announcement regarding the termination of Hwayoung‘s contractCore Contents Media recently revealed some of Hwayoung’s unacceptable behavior in the past, furthering the mudslinging.

According to CCM, after their Budokan concert and return to Korea on July 27th, T-ara was preparing to go on stage for a live broadcast of KBS‘s ‘Music Bank‘. With only two groups before them left to go, Hwayoung suddenly decided that she did not want to perform on stage that day.

CCM had decided that due to her leg injury, Hwayoung would sit on a chair on stage for her rap segment, and so the girls had successfully completed their camera rehearsal before the broadcast. However, Hwayoung suddenly changed her mind and refused to go on stage with 2 groups left to go.

The agency stated that in order to prevent an accident on live TV, members Eunjung and Hyomin were pressed to learn Hwayoung’s rap segment in the short amount of time they had before their turn. With the new pressure, Hyomin was clearly nervous and ended up making a mistake during the rap segment.

On the way home, Hwayoung, in front of fans and reporters, threw down her crutches and sat on the floor, threatening to yell at the managers in public. It has also been revealed that Hwayoung has shown both fans and reporters a similar side to her, with unacceptable actions and behavior on the set of ‘Music Bank’.

CCM CEO Kim Kwang Soo stated, “We will not be revealing any more of Hwayoung’s similar behaviors outside of the ‘Music Bank’ incident because we do want to protect her. I am also sorrowed by the words left on Hwayoung’s Twitter.”



Source + Image: Newsen
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31.7.12 0

Hwayoung strikes back on Twitter


Following Core Contents Media‘s announcement of Hwayoung leaving the group T-ara, Hwayoung posted a quick sentence on Twitter that seemed to summarize her thoughts on the matter.

“…facts without any truth,” she stated simply. Although the context of her tweet is unknown, it is not hard to link it to CCM’s recent press release relaying the reasons behind her withdrawal from T-ara.

…진실없는 사실들
- @RHY422,



Source: Hwayoung’s Twitter
Article shared by  via allkpop
31.7.12 0

CCM’s CEO Kim Kwang Soo interviewed regarding Hwayoung’s departure


On the heels of the earth-shattering news of Hwayoung‘s departure from T-ara, Kim Kwang Soo, the CEO of Core Contents Media, sat down for a quick interview with South Korean media outlet Ilgan Sports.

The full interview follows below.

——

The press release is a bit vague. It seems to have actually inflated the controversy.
I can’t reveal everything. It’s the least amount of courtesy for the departing member. Please think carefully about who will be hurt if the truth is revealed.

There were reports of bullying. Are the fights between the members a big reason in the departure?
No. The relationship between the members are not a big problem. In fact, once you take control of a team, small problems can erupt. The bigger problem is the hardships faced by the staff members.

The problems with the staff was also in the official press release. What kind of problems existed?
I don’t want to go into detail, nor do I want to make personal attacks. But the staff were very tired after driving for the entire night and taking care of hair and makeup. There were several managers who cried, saying they wanted to quit. Although the artists are important, I believe that the sweat and tears of the staff are equally as important. I could not stand by watching this destruction of teamwork any longer.

If you go into a little more detail, would that not quell the controversy?
There were so many issues, but I really do not want to shed light on any of them, so I am keeping quiet. There were many examples of yelling at the members and breaking down the teamwork. How would the T-ara members feel, who had trained for over three years? In order to not inflate this issue any further, I hope (Hwayoung) stays quiet.



Source: Ilgan Sports via Naver
Article shared by  via allkpop
31.7.12 0

T-ara’s former back-up dancer claims Jiyeon once slapped Hwayoung


Among the many that are stepping forward to offer some more insight on the T-ara controversy, is a netizen who claims to be a former T-ara back-up dancer.

The post is going viral online, and in it, the dancer describes in detail of a time Jiyeon had slapped Hwayoung across the face.
It reads:
I am a member of Hot Chicks, an exclusive dance team for T-ara, and am also working with Davichi, KARA, Brown Eyed Girls, Rainbow Pixie, and more.

It was around the time the Japanese concert took place. We were getting big with our “Lovey Dovey” shuffle dance after Hwayoung was admitted, and getting ready to perform “Roly Poly” for our year-end performance.

During one of the rehearsals, it was a situation where Kwang Soo had jam-packed our schedules, so both the dancers and the members of T-ara who had just completed their day’s work were extremely sensitive and on edge.

Still, everyone was mustering up their last bit of strength and practicing, when Hwayoung messed up a little bit of the choreography.

Seeing this, Jiyeon and Soyeon then sarcastically scoffed at her, saying, ‘Since you already decided to join, you should maybe work a little harder.’
Hwayoung then became a little depressed, but the dance leader mediated the situation and the rehearsal resumed.

But Hwayoung maintained an uncomfortable expression on her face, and Jiyeon who saw this slapped Hwayoung across the cheek and told her that because she had come in late to the already-established group T-ara, she needed to act sensibly and to rehearse without that expression on her face.

The atmosphere became extremely tense, and Hyomin took Jiyeon outside, telling her that she should just be the bigger person.

Even after Hwayoung’s ‘exposure’ incident, everyone was indifferent towards her, rather than comforting.

After the incident, T-ara went on hiatus to prepare for “Day By Day” and because of events with Davichi and Brown Eyed Girls, I could only see T-ara on TV.

Seeing them on the small-screen, I thought that the girls’ relationship with Hwayoung had improved, but these girls who are all grown don’t want to sit by her in the car so they blatantly play rock paper scissors right in front of her face.”
Post like these attesting to the bullying attacks against Hwayoung continue to surface on portal site community boards, causing netizens to become all the more eager to uncover the truth.

-

[Update: The leader of the dance team has come forward to deny these claims and Kim Kwang Soo himself has also stated that this story has been fabricated in the latest article here.]


Source & Image: CityDaily, SLRClub, GGTimes
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31.7.12 0

CEO Kim Kwang Soo meets with the parents of Hwayoung and Hyoyoung


Core Contents Media’s CEO Kim Kwang Soo has demanded that the media cease reporting unconfirmed news regarding T-ara.

On July 31st, he was interviewed by Star News where he revealed that he met with the parents of Hwayoung and Hyoyoung and asked reporters to only report the facts for their sake.

He expressed, “After checking with T-ara’s backdancer team, I was able to confirm that the post claiming to be T-ara’s backdancer was indeed false, as with the content. The reason I terminated Hwayoung’s contract yesterday was because of her tendency to act out, such as refusing to perform on a live broadcast. The decision was made as a reflection of the opinions of T-ara’s staff. However, I believe that this decision will better aid Hwayoung in becoming a better artist.” 

He continued, “Like I said yesterday, this decision has nothing to do with the bullying rumors going around. Because of the haters that are spreading rumors, the situation has taken a route of its own. These hateful lies are continuing to spread online, which is only making it harder for T-ara and Hwayoung.” 

Kim Kwang Soo added, “I met with Hwayoung and Hyoyoung’s parents yesterday to explain to them my decision, and they were understanding of it. They wished for the best for both T-ara and Hwayoung, so it’s making it greatly difficult for both her parents and T-ara to see these unconfirmed stories coming up on the internet.” 

Core Contents Media further emphasized, “We ask that all articles in relation to T-ara be confirmed through our company before they are released on the internet.”





Source + Photos: Star News via Daum 
Article shared by via allkpop
31.7.12 0

CCM announces Hwayoung will leave T-ara


T-ara‘s parent company Core Contents Media announced today that one of its members, Hwayoung, will be leaving the group.

CCM’s CEO, Kim Kwang Soo, announced the departure in a press release written by the president himself. “In deference to the complaints by T-ara’s staff of 19 people (5 stylists, 7 hair & makeup, 5 on-site managers, 2 team managers), Hwayoung’s contract as an artist will be voided effective immediately with no conditions.”

Kim Kwang Soo denied any correlation with the recent controversy that erupted following tweets from the T-ara members that were interpreted by many as one-sided bullying against Hwayoung. “We wish to impress upon the fact that this has nothing to do with the ‘bullying’ reports surrounding T-ara,” CCM said. “Although the staff of Core Contents Media stayed up into early morning discussing with the T-ara members who all wanted to stay with Hwayoung, we apologize in saying that we could not forsake the arguments of the staff members.”

“We deeply apologize for the many incidents which made everyone who loved T-ara nervous and worried, and we have nothing but sadness to convey such an unsettling incident on their third anniverary. We also apologize again to the T-ara members and wish Hwayoung all the best as a powerful rapper,” CCM continued, “since Hwayoung has great potential as a rapper we decided to end her contract without conditions and we believe that she will grow into the future as a free artist.”

Hwayoung was with T-ara for 20 months, leaving original members Boram, Qri, Eunjung, Soyeon, Hyomin, and Jiyeon, as well as new member Ahreum.






Source: Star News via Nate 
Article shared by via allkpop
31.7.12 0

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