Following the announcement that Kim Garam's contract with the company has been terminated, HYBE is accused of using the former LE SSERAFIM member for noise marketing.
Keep on reading to know more.
LE SSERAFIM Kim Garam Withdraws From Group Following Contract Termination
Back on July 20, HYBE and Source Music announced that the termination of their exclusive contract with LE SSERAFIM member Kim Garam, following the continuous accusations of her being a perpetrator of school bullying.
With several accusations made against the rookie idol, which began even before her debut in May, Kim Garam subsequently went into hiatus from group activities as LE SSERAFIM continued promoting with five members.
Kim Garam
HYBE and Source Music's decision didn't come off as a surprise, as Kim Garam had been put into hiatus not long after making her debut.
However, the truth behind Kim Garam's school bullying scandal has yet to be fully concluded, as HYBE and Source Music did not make any further statement regarding the accuracy of the claims made against the short-lived idol.
Not long after Kim Garam's withdrawal from LE SSERAFIM was announced, one netizen who claimed to be friends with the former member took to Instagram to claim that HYBE and Source Music had used her for noise marketing.
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HYBE Responds to Claims of Using Kim Garam for Noise Marketing
The alleged friend is suggesting that the companies had purposely allowed for Kim Garam to make her debut despite the rumors to help raise LE SSERAFIM's popularity.
In addition, they claimed to have given HYBE and Source Music several evidences to help Kim Garam's case, but the companies allegedly did not use it.
The alleged friend said:
"[Kim Garam's accuser] had bullied me from elementary school to middle school, and she also cursed my parents and physically threatened me. She had come to me surprisingly, to pick bones about bullying me and hid behind the name of victim for around a month. Seeing her being comforted by others while I am being blamed as the second perpetrator of bullying, I decided to share this as I feel it is unfair. As Kim Garam's friend, I gathered some statements from other friends, as well as materials I had and gave them to her company. But the adults [at the company] did not use them in the end, so as to protect their own image. [The company] used an 18-year-old high school for noise marketing and kicked her out just like that."
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Regarding the claims made by Kim Garam's alleged friend of HYBE and Source Music using the idol for noise marketing, the company simply stated to Sports Kyunghyang, "Isn't it an unreasonable speculation?"
What are your thoughts on the alleged friend's claims?
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Written by Robyn Joan
