On November 18th, Ahreum, a former member of the girl group T-ara, shared her thoughts on social media, saying, “I have nothing official to say about the incident, but since I keep receiving DMs, I’ll leave a brief message for just one day.”

Her comments come amid renewed attention on the T-ara bullying controversy, following statements from Hwayoung and Hyoyoung addressing their roles in the situation, which has further fueled the debate.

On the same day, Hwayoung also addressed the controversy on her social media, claiming, “Chairman Kim Kwang Soo was aware of my isolation in the group but did nothing. I remember living in the dorm without a room, staying in the living room because no one wanted to be my roommate, along with countless verbal abuse, criticism, and even physical assault. The T-ara bullying incident remains the deepest scar of my life.”

Ahreum’s full SNS statement

I have nothing official to say about the incident, but since I keep receiving DMs, I’ll leave a brief message for just one day. When I joined, I was busy learning all of T-ara’s existing songs in Japanese and Korean, memorizing choreography, and adjusting to the group. I had no time to do anything but practice. When the situation among the unnies unfolded on Twitter, it was incredibly difficult to watch and accept.

Even after I left, I consistently said that Hwayoung unnie always cared for and looked after me, and I was thankful for her. But after the injury incident and the tension among the members began, I felt like I was walking on thin ice. I had no one to lean on.

At such a young age, every day felt like a thorny path. I had no time or mental space to engage in anything like spreading rumors. Later, when a misunderstanding arose, Hyoyoung unnie apologized, which I accepted. I didn’t hold onto it, and we ended on a good note.

For me, T-ara is nothing more or less than a wound. It’s just a part of my life when I worked the hardest. Can we just leave it as a memory of a time when there were good songs and moments? Asking me about it now won’t change anything.

I think everyone involved deeply regrets, feels sorry, and has suffered. Perhaps some were hurt more than others, but I don’t think anyone was unharmed. A long time has passed. Even after I left the group, whenever I appeared on broadcasts, they labeled me with the T-ara name, but I’ve always just wanted to live quietly as myself. That’s all I want now and in the future—to live as ordinarily as possible.

I hope everyone can move on from those wounds and live peacefully from now on.