[Warning: talks of bullying and verbal abuse]

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June 11th, 2022
Koreabew

Today, leader of the girl group Z10N (the female subunit of SEVENTEEN) gave a response via Instagram Live and publicly denied the bullying allegations made by former member Kyungsook. In this video, she was dressed in a hoodie and laying down on her bed in a very dark room. The live, which only lasted five minutes, was clear and cut to the point.

"First of all, I know she never said anyone's name but because Sena is involved, I wanted to make it clear that the 'S' member she's referring to is me. So all you antis and media maggots don't even bring Sena into this, because she has nothing to do with it," Seoyoon said after greeting her fans at the beginning of the video. 

"What Kyungsook is saying about me is false... I'm sorry that this had to be revealed... because this is something I didn't expect or even want to get out to the public."

She goes on to explain the starting moment that these abusive actions took place, mirroring Kyungsook in her original claim that things started to change between the two after their first music show win in 2018. They were rookie artists just starting their careers, she explained, and the pressure was on to prove themselves. Seoyoon said that their first award was a happy moment but also a pressuring moment because this meant that audiences would expect more from them at each comeback.

"After that year, I experienced a lot of pressuring moments as the leader of ROXI. I put pressure on myself because that's who I am, but I also got a lot of criticism from Kyungsook. It was one thing after another... she didn't like how I did things, she didn't like how I said things, she criticized my looks... there was a lot of verbal abuse coming only from her," she revealed.

Seoyoon explained that although she was experiencing these things, she didn't tell anyone about it. Not her manager, not staff members, not family, or other friends. Even the members Sena and Ruby didn't really know, because everything was always done in secret. She goes on to say that there was one or two incidents that the members witnessed, but she never talked about it with them or complained about Kyungsook.

"There was one time at an award show... a lot of sunbaes were there and we were all really excited. Seventeen sunbaenim were there, too. We were super nervous and Kyungsook made it known that if we messed up this opportunity, she would make us regret it a lot... I don't know what she meant, but I guess it was a scare tactic..."

"...I remember that we did well at this show, but there was also attention being made by the media and fans about my scratched knee. Back then, I said that-- I think I made the excuse that I shaved my legs and accidentally cut myself and that's why there was a cut. Actually... Kyungsook had tripped me outside as we were walking from the green room to the main stage before the performance, and I fell in the gravel."

During this revelation, fans present during the live stream were sending many apologetic comments and crying emojis. Before she ended the stream, she told her fans not to worry because the truth will be revealed and everything will come to light. She apologized for keeping this experience a secret and claimed that their unconditional support for her group and current members is what has helped her through any sad moments.

"I just wanted to publicly make an official announcement that Kyungsook Kim verbally abused me and not vice versa. She is the real bully."

[watch Seoyoon's full Instagram live video here]

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What do you think about Seoyoon's confession? Is she telling the truth? And if so, should Kyungsook face any punishment for her actions? Write your comments down below.

Comments:

???: what the heck? this is crazy... i couldn't even imagine seoyoon going through that. you never really know what happens behind closed doors.

???: Hm. there aRe a few facts that match up to Kyungsook's story - so she has to be telling the truth right? IDK. Something still feels off. I feel like she's only responding and saying something now because she got outed by Kyungsook. She's trying to save face because she knows the media may not believe her.

???: #ProtectSeoyoon #StopBullying #DoSomethingHYBE

???: There's no way nobody in the staff saw them fighting or whatever. There has to be cameras or other witnesses... :( Anyway, I'm glad that Seoyoon is brave enough to speak up about it and hopefully Kyungsook gets defamation charges. I never liked her anyway.

???: OK. So Kyungsook was really the bully... but that doesn't explain why she left the group. Especially since her alleged behavior wasn't reported. it makes more sense that she left bc she wasn't happy with ROXI... maybe that was for the best.