'24 o'clock' member Kim Hyun Jae of JTBC's 'Peak Time' has announced his departure from the competition program, as to prevent any indirect damage on his teammates as well as on the program. 

Previously, Kim Hyun Jae became embroiled in school bullying accusations by an anonymous netizen. As a result, on March 13 KST, Kim Hyun Jae wrote via his Instagram,

"Hello, this is Kim Hyun Jae from team '24 o'clock' on 'Peak Time'. 

First and foremost, I would like to deliver my apologies to the production crew of JTBC's 'Peak Time', all of the fellow contestants on the program, the members of my team '24 o'clock', as well as all of the fans who have cheered us on for the damages caused by the unfortunate accusations I recently became embroiled in.

Some time ago, an anonymous online user claimed that they were bullied in school by me. I was able to get in contact with this individual and we conversed over the phone, but it turned out that we had very different memories of what occurred in the past, and I concluded that it was no longer plausible to resolve the matter with words alone. All I can say for now is that the accusations are absolutely false, and that I will do my best to prove my innocence.

However, during the time required to prove my innocence in this issue, I do not wish to inflict further damages on 'Peak Time' nor on my fellow members in team '24 o'clock', and so I have decided to leave the program. 

Just as there is no way to erase real, past events, there is also no way to fabricate false events. I learned through this experience just how difficult it is to prove that I am being wrongly accused, but at least through this letter, I hope to speak up for my innocence. 

Thank you for reading this long post." 

Likewise, the production crew of JTBC's 'Peak Time' also confirmed on this day that Kim Hyun Jae will be leaving the program as of March 13 KST.