Kim Kwangsoo shared, "At the time, (the rumors surrounding T-ARA) made me so outrageous and frustrated that I decided to make a major announcement. I’m saying this for the first time on TV. I asked Hwayoung and Hyoyoung to bring their contracts, and I tore them up."
He continued, "I told them, ‘Leave. I’ll let you go with no conditions. Go do your work.’ After that, rumors about bullying began to spread online, and they escalated out of control before we could manage them."
Kim Kwangsoo also revealed, “The parents of T-ARA members came to the company. They wanted a press conference to reveal everything, including the Kakao Talks messages. But I decided not to after thinking about what would happen to the members' lives if I did."
He added, "The victims became perceived as the perpetrators. Even though Hwayoung did wrong, I was concerned about her future since she was still young."
Kim Kwangsoo explained, “I felt the T-ARA members did nothing wrong, which is why I allowed them to continue with their schedules. However, the public questioned me, saying, "How powerful is Kim Kwangsoo? He must be powerful in the entertainment industry that he pushes ahead with the group's activities." However, I believed we had done nothing wrong."
At the time, Kim Kwangsoo reassured the members by saying, “I’m okay with being criticized. If you stop now, you’ll never recover. I’ll bear it all. You just keep moving forward.”
Kim Kwangsoo recalled the T-ARA incident, saying, "It was a major crisis at the time. In a way, it may still be ongoing to this day."
When MC Hong Hyunhee asked if he regretted his decisions back then, Kim Kwang-soo responded, “The T-ARA members occasionally visit me on my birthday. I feel so sorry that I often cry, thinking, ‘I should have held back a little.’ People advised me not to make a public statement, but I did. I tell the girls, ‘I’m sorry, I should’ve held back,’” as he teared up.
-T-ARA's fans still throwing hate on Hwayoung to this day. He's just adding fuel to the fire.
-Everything is Kwangsoo's fault.
-Just stay silent. You're just adding fuel to the fire.
-Why bring this up now...?
-Ajusshi... Why are you bringing this up again?
-Just be quiet, please.
-This is just another round of bullying... So scary.
-From an outsider's perspective, that definitely looked like bullying... And the company was involved in it...
-T-ARA incident was exposed because they posted on Twitter themselves
-Poor Hwayoung, she's still getting hate up to this day. What did she do wrong?
-People who witnessed this scandal are still alive. Ajusshi, stop acting like you're the victim.
-What are you talking about? This is ridiculoud. I still remember that incident clearly. It's funny how he's still blaming Hwayoung.
-Who openly bullied someone on Twitter for everyone to see? Shut your mouth, Kwangsoo.
