"Produce 101" fans recently worried about the rumor that one of the contestants, Samuel Kim, was allegedly bullied by his classmates. The photos spread on the internet showed that Samuel's friends at school often made fun of him since he appeared on "Produce 101."
"Produce 101" contestant bullying rumor started when two photos of Samuel Kim allegedly being bullied, leaked online. There were photos and videos showing Samuel carrying textbooks on the stairs while a friend punched him so he had to pick his books up alone.
Since his appearance on "Produce 101," Samuel Kim has always been the subject of talking and mostly jokes. It was reported that lots of his friends mocked his stage name, Punch, and even imitated or made fun of his "Produce 101" introduction. However, according to Allkpop, there's an indication that the bullying rumor was made up.
Another photo of someone giving a middle finger to Samuel has led people to believe that the "Produce 101" contestant bullying rumor was true. However, it turned out that somebody has taken the photo out of context when in fact, it was just a photo Samuel's friend uploaded as a joke. A screenshot of an online chat between an unidentified person and Samuel Kim proved that the photo was indeed intended as a joke. According to the transcription, it was revealed that the unidentified person initially asked for Samuel's permission to upload the aforementioned photo, which was eventually disapproved by the "Produce 101" contestant because he didn't want to make his fans flip out.
Fans are relieved when the truth behind the "Produce 101" contestant bullying rumor was finally revealed. However, some fans are still furious at someone misusing the photo to make up claims about the bullying scandal. Samuel Kim's bullying rumor is not the only scandal that has bugged fans. Previously, there was a rumor about Han, one of "Produce 101" Season 2 trainees, who allegedly bullied a classmate when he was in elementary school, Soompi reported.
It was said that the trainee's classmate confessed on Facebook that Han made him do an unspeakable thing in front of the class, locking him in the equipment room and making him fight with his friends. However, there was no evidence of this person telling the truth and the producer is still investigating the case.
