[Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Bullying, Abuse, and Self-Harm]
Last week, another controversial K-pop abuse case stirred the internet when Shin Minah from the group ILUV claimed that she was bullied and forced to watch sex videos by her co-members. After she posted about the issue, WKS ENE, ILUV's agency, released a statement denying such allegations.
Today, July 23rd, WKS ENE once again released another statement informing the public that they had taken legal actions against Shin Minah.
"As a representative of WKS ENE and ILUV, I would like to inform the public of our stand against the former ILUV member's allegations. It was all false. Minah accused all six members of ILUV with sexual harassment and bullying, but all of these aren't true. The ILUV members are currently in shock. They couldn't believe what Minah had said against them. They felt like throwing up.
What the former member did was abhorrent. Therefore, the ILUV members and our agency will pursue legal criminal action against Shin Minah."
Furthermore, WKS ENE clarified Shin Minah's long hiatus, which was because of health-related reasons. "Since January, Minah has not participated in group activities due to health reasons. As her agency, we wanted to give her new projects, but she kept on extending her leave, saying she needed more time to recover. It is regrettable that this had to happen."
They also clarified Shin Minah's allegations of how the company never did anything about the harassment. "She never opened up about it. The first time we heard about the issue was when she publicly said it through YouTube and social media."
Shin Minah also shared on SBS Midnight that she almost jumped on the Han River because of the bullying that she went through. Thankfully, she was rescued by bystanders.
"They blew cigarette smoke at me and forced me to hurt myself. They also cursed and molested me. I couldn't stand it anymore," the idol claimed.
The agency also answered these statements saying, "What the singer had said is not true. It's unfair to the families of the other members. She had hurt a lot of people because of spreading false rumors about them. We treated Minah like a family member; we understood her situation when she needed a break. We are all shocked about this incident."
"We also hoped the story would not get bigger, as it pains many people who were falsely accused and dragged into it. However, people keep talking about it, so we had to clarify too. Minah also keeps posting things on her social media channel. She even told her fans that the agency terminated her contract, but that is not true. Minah revoked the contract herself," the agency clarified.
