Former
On Thursday, Soo-jin’s legal representatives at Barun Law Firm issued a statement claiming that Soo-jin did not bully the alleged victim in middle school and at most used harsh words in an interaction with the victim over the phone but apologized in person a long time ago.
Additionally, the statement emphasized that the school’s Autonomous Committee for School Violence Countermeasures found Soo-jin “not guilty” and that she was a victim of bullying herself by some senior classmates. According to the statement, she was involved in an incident in middle school as a victim and given a warning by the committee, but “apart from this incident, she was never subject to any disciplinary measure for school violence.”
Her representatives said that Soo-jin recognizes this does not necessarily clear her of the allegations from the victim, but that allegations of violence and bullying from users online are false because the school committee would have investigated such instances.
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Soo-jin filed a criminal charge in March last year against her accuser hoping to put an end to the controversy that first arose a month prior, but the police cleared the alleged victim of any wrongdoing. According to Soo-jin’s legal representative, “The police made this decision after deducing the allegations made by Soo-jin’s former classmate could be true from their perspective, and also because no intent for fraud was found.”
Soo-jin’s label at the time, CUBE Entertainment, terminated her contract not long after. CUBE Entertainment’s statement at the time said:
“The investigation determined that the individuals who made the comments were found not guilty of spreading false information. We respect the results of the police investigation, and we apologize for causing concern to many people.”
Barun Law Firm’s statement elaborated upon the reasons for Soo-jin dropping the lawsuit: “With regards to this case, there is no other evidence to confirm the facts aside from the conflicting statements put out by both parties. Under such circumstances, Seo Soo-jin has come to the conclusion that it is no longer possible for her to verify the allegations made online through legal procedures.”
It concluded with an apology from Soo-jin: “Miss Seo strongly understands how emotionally hurt her former classmate must feel, regardless of whether the allegations were true or not, and sincerely apologizes to everyone who may have been hurt by the brash words she used back in middle school. She also apologizes to her supportive fans, as well as all other parties who may have felt disappointed by her actions.”
Back in March this year, (G)I-DLE made their first group comeback following Soo-jin’s termination. The K-pop girl group are currently on their world tour.
Feature Image via UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN
