T-ara member Qri has indirectly expressed her feelings through a cryptic photo amid the resurfacing of the T-ara bullying incident, which was recently dug up after 12 years following comments by Kim Kwang-soo. On the night of the 10th, Qri posted a photo of a crescent moon on her account, which many speculate to be an indirect expression of her emotions given the renewed spotlight on the bullying incident.
The controversy began anew on the November 9 episode of MBN’s “GabojaGO Season 3,” when Kim Kwang-soo mentioned the incident. In 2012, a conflict between existing T-ara members and new member Ryu Hwayoung led to bullying accusations, which significantly affected T-ara, then at the peak of their popularity.
Kim Kwang-soo recalled, “Hwayoung injured her leg during a music program. I instructed the members to perform without her, and they stayed up all night rehearsing more than twenty songs to fill in the gap. The next day, Hwayoung performed one song on stage. When praised, the other members said it was very difficult for them and requested that Hwayoung apologize.” Kim Kwang-soo promised Hwayoung would apologize, but claimed that upon returning to Korea, the bullying scandal erupted. He decided to terminate Hwayoung and her sister Hyoyoung’s contracts unconditionally, saying, “(The T-ara members) did nothing wrong; it’s just that people speculated I had the power to enforce such a performance.”
After the broadcast, Ryu Hwayoung spoke out, questioning the motivations behind the biased and distorted statements about an incident from 12 years ago, while asserting the bullying she experienced was true. She stated she was subjected to verbal abuse and assault by T-ara members. Hwayoung explained that at the time of the contract termination, she had evidence to prove the bullying and intended to hold a press conference, but Kim Kwang-soo proposed to end her sister’s contract if she remained silent. She expressed frustration over how T-ara members appeared on various shows, claiming they never bullied anyone, which she felt left the issue unresolved within themselves.
While the T-ara members have maintained silence, the attention has intensified on Qri’s enigmatic photo—the only response from the T-ara camp.