Lee Na-eun's Side: "Inappropriate Remarks Related to Ko Young-wook Are Photoshopped" Explanation Amid Emerging 'School Violence Me Too' Allegations

On the afternoon of July 24, 2019, at the photo wall event of the '2019 Brand of the Year Awards' held at Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Lee Na-eun of the group April, the winner in the female acting idol category, is posing. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The group April is embroiled in controversy over former member Lee Hyun-joo's 'bullying allegations,' while member Lee Na-eun is also facing controversy over school violence allegations and past inappropriate behavior. Lee Na-eun's side dismissed the claims, stating, "The allegations are completely false and the photos are doctored."

On the 1st, DSP Media, Lee Na-eun's agency, stated, "Lee Na-eun did not post the comment in question," adding, "The screenshot photo circulating online, claimed to be Lee Na-eun's past statement, is a doctored image. It is a photo that had spread a long time ago and is now resurfacing," according to an interview with DongA.com.

They also announced through an official statement, "We plan to take strong legal action against the baseless doctored photos posted on some online communities."

The problematic photo contained a message, allegedly from a person presumed to be Lee Na-eun, saying to an acquaintance, "Do you want to be sexually assaulted by Go Young-wook too?" Go Young-wook is a singer formerly of the group Roolla, who was convicted and served a prison sentence for sexually assaulting and molesting minors, and was recently released.

On that day, a photo containing inappropriate remarks was posted on an online community under the title "Reexamining Lee Na-eun's past statements." / Photo by an online community capture

Meanwhile, on the same day, a post by a person identified as A, claiming to have been a victim of school violence by Lee Na-eun, was posted on an online community, sparking controversy.

A stated, "When I was in the 6th grade of elementary school, I was subjected to baseless verbal abuse by Lee Na-eun and was always ostracized by the so-called 'bully group' that included Lee Na-eun," alleging that Lee Na-eun insulted and sowed discord behind her back without reason.

She continued, "One day, an older sister who graduated from the same elementary school came to visit, and because I hugged her out of joy, Lee Na-eun loudly cursed at me, saying, 'Know your place and stop acting up,'" adding, "At that time, I was so scared to go to school, worried that the group including Lee Na-eun would curse at me again or glare at me. Even now, in my early twenties, my self-esteem has not recovered."

A wrote, "Seeing Lee Na-eun shamelessly smiling on TV from the moment she debuted until now makes me so angry that I think about it all day," and added, "I believe what I experienced was school violence, and I think it is right to receive an apology. Violence does not only mean physical abuse," posting a photo of Lee Na-eun's elementary school graduation to verify that they were classmates.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.