K-pop bullying scandal – AOA’s Mina lifts lid on ‘10 years’ of emotional abuse, telling peers and fans: ‘Fight, don’t hold it in’
Revelations about the toxic inner workings of girl group AOA cast light on South Korea’s unhealthy and over-competitive band culture – singers are thrown together with strangers and groomed for success from an early age, and now fans call for emotional support for the bully as well as bullied
Sleeping pills? Don’t take them. It will never end. Don’t live like me. Don’t hold it in. Do everything you want to do and express yourself
Long years of pain
“Around the time of my dad’s passing, I cried once in the waiting room and one of the unnies [older members] told me that I was ruining everyone’s mood and told me not to cry, dragging me to the wardrobe of the waiting room. I told her I was so scared at the thought of my dad dying. I still can’t forget those words,” read an excerpt from Mina’s now deleted Instagram post, in an English translation published on Soompi.
She would then reveal the unnie to be Jimin, the group’s leader. Mina wrote how she was bullied for 10 years, and how, despite enjoying promoting the group, she eventually left AOA because she could no longer take it.
Bullying in girl groups
This isn’t the first time that bullying scandals have surfaced among girl groups. In 2012, bullying claims among T-ara members hit the news, damaging the group’s reputation. The members later on penned a handwritten letter to clarify the misunderstanding: “If we would’ve understood, sacrificed, and acted more maturely toward each other, none of this would have ever happened,” they wrote.
A report on the issue in The Korea Times reveals experts citing bullying scandals as “inherent and structural”, stressing that trainees start at a very young age and are forced to be in a group with other girls they have no connection with. The set-up could lead to jealousy among members, and may resort to immature acts such as bullying.
Tough competition is another factor, culture critic Jung Duk-hyun told The Korea Times, adding that focusing on personality and character training could be a way to prevent conflict among members.
