[TW/CW: Mentions of bullying, suicide, and self-harm]
A user claiming to be the sister of APRIL Yena has stepped up to dispute the bullying rumor about the remaining members of the girl group and Lee Hyunjoo. A separate user recently claimed to be the younger brother of Hyunjoo and said that the APRIL members bullied his sister, who ended up leaving the team because of this.
Assumed Brother of Former APRIL Member Hyunjoo Asserts that the Female Idol was Bullied within the Group
On Feb. 28, an unidentified user made a post in an online community forum where they claimed that they are the younger brother of Lee Hyunjoo, a former member of APRIL. The netizen alleged that his sister was announced to have left the girl group to pursue an acting career, however, it was not the real case. They then shared that Hyunjoo was harassed and bullied by her fellow APRIL members and that she attempted to take her own life because of the sufferings she had been through.
RELATED: User Claiming to be Former APRIL Hyunjoo's Brother Alleges She Was Bullied in the Group + Label Investigating the Facts
The accuser went on to say that the company made the former APRIL member say that her reason for leaving the team is because she wanted to focus on acting.
After the post of the assumed brother of Lee Hyunjoo gained attention, APRIL's management company, DSP Media, quickly addressed the bullying rumors, detailing why former APRIL member Hyunjoo left the group. The label also released a long, follow-up statement where they tackled numerous sides related to the bullying controversy.
At some point in the statement, the company said that they checked the CCTV footage to learn whether bullying did take place between the APRIL members but they did not find anything that showed as such.
APRIL Yena's Claimed Sister Steps up to Talk about the Bullying Rumors Involving Former Member Hyunjoo
On March 1, an anonymous person who claimed to be APRIL Yena's older sister came forward to respond to the bullying rumors. The netizen claimed that there is no such thing as bullying or outcast within the group and that they were still young at that time and so the group was unable to accept Hyunjoo's sudden change of mind.
The user added that all APRIL members went to the hospital and received treatment for recovery and took medicine to stay awake while they were backstage. The alleged sister of APRIL Yena further stated that after "that friend" (referring to former member Hyunjoo) went on hiatus, the remaining members had to stay up until dawn to rearrange the choreography.
ALSO READ: [UPDATE] DSP Media Addresses the Bullying Rumors Involving Hyunjoo and APRIL Members
The netizen went on to say that the members got therapy and eventually recovered from their sufferings. She then pointed out the fact that the APRIL members looked like antagonists in society in the post made by the accuser. "How can you not include the accounts of everyone present at that time and turn the members into evil perpetrators?" she asked.
Finally, the claimed sister of APRIL Yena said that she believes that post was written without evidence and for a particular purpose. And so, she decided to come forward as the misunderstanding and biasedness become worse as time passes by. Additionally, she attached a picture showing their family registrar that includes both her and Yena's names.
What can you say about the new bullying controversy, this time involving APRIL? Tell us in the comments.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
