Seventeen’s Mingyu apologises to former classmate as K-pop bullying scandal continues
- Pledis Entertainment, Seventeen’s management company, reached out to former classmates to get to the bottom of the bullying allegations aimed at Mingyu
- After ‘many’ conversations one of his ex-schoolmates said he did not want the issue to lead to the K-pop star being suspended or leaving the group
K-pop boy band Seventeen has updated fans about the rumours surrounding Mingyu’s alleged wrongdoings as a student.
Last month, Mingyu (Kim Min-gyu) became one of several K-pop stars embroiled in scandals involving alleged bullying while at school. Pledis Entertainment, Seventeen’s management company, has been steadily reaching out to former classmates about the allegations, while Mingyu has put his work with the group on hold as the investigation into the claims takes place.
On March 12, Seventeen shared statements in both Korean and English clarifying one situation involving Mingyu when he was a student, after a former classmate accused him of verbal abuse in the past. Pledis had previously issued a statement on February 28 addressing some claims, sharing Mingyu’s perspective and saying that the investigation will continue while the artist pauses from working.
Pledis staff are said to have had “many’’ conversations with the former classmate as part of their investigation.
“After going through this process, the artist and the poster [on social media] agreed to resolve the misunderstandings and put the issue to rest,” reads the statement. “The writer of the online post experienced a series of personal events unrelated to the artist while attending middle school and uploaded the post to make them known to the public. The post also included what happened during the after-school classes at the time.”