Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Sunday, July 19, 2020
11) What would have happend if Hwayoung had not been added?
There are two different scenarios to consider. In the first the only
change we make is that Hwayoung is not added. Areum joins in July 2012,
the Hwayoung crisis does not occur, and Dani is added a few months after
that. Kim Kwang Soo selected Dani for T-ara when he saw her in the
street. She is only 13 years old and joining a top group where the next
youngest is 18 and the oldest is 26, and who have just released a song
called Sexy Love. I am worried already! There's no way this is going to
work out well. T-ara's schedule is tough for the hardened professionals
who have been in the group for three years, and Dani is a child with no
discernible talent who is completely out of her depth and won't be able
to cope. It's going to end in disaster, probably before Christmas, and I
mean Christmas in 2012.
All of that is without even considering what we know about Areum, who said that Hwayoung was a friend who took good care of her and that she was hurt by the staff. That suggests Hwayoung's bad relationship with the staff may have been more their fault than hers. It seems that they didn't like new members, and Areum lasted a little under a year in T-ara before she jumped ship (or was pushed overboard, it is not clear which). If it was her choice the stress of being in a group accused of bullying was surely part of the reason, but the loss of her friend Hwayoung and the staff problem were likely to be part of it too, probably more than the Hyoyoung incident.
The second alternative history is one in which no additions are made to the group. T-ara's most successful period was when Hwayoung was a member and she did help to attract new fans, but it is reasonable to think that Roly Poly and Lovey Dovey would still have been very big hits without her. The Budokan concerts would have passed without incident but T-ara's excessive workload would have caused problems eventually. Early in 2012 the members complained that they had not had a day off in over a year. To achieve long-term success the management needed to keep them happy and excited about they were doing and encourage them to work together for the good of the group, but KKS responded by threatening to replace members if he thought they weren't meeting his expectations. That is a terrible way to manage them that was likely to make them feel that they were in competition with each other and increase stress and tension, and it was probably one of the reasons for the conflict that led to the scandal.
Without Hwayoung the crisis would not have come when it did, but it was the scandal that slowed down their schedule and without it they would have kept working far too hard. Something probably would have gone badly wrong eventually; whether that would be their mental health, conflict within the group just a general loss of interest resulting in tired and lacklustre performances I don't know. The last of those is something they were criticised for even before KKS said he would replace members who fell below the standards he demanded.
T-ara were so badly managed that they probably would have run into serious trouble soon, with or without added members. From the position they were actually in, if Hwayoung's injury had not happened when it did they might have had a scandal about bullying Areum or Dani instead. They did have a mini-scandal when Areum left, which was as fake as the one involving Hwayoung. Because it was what people expected of T-ara it didn't become a big thing and didn't affect their popularity, so there was no attempt to demonise Areum, but what would have happened if the Areum scandal had been the first? It would have been just like the Hwayoung one, with T-ara hated for being bullies and Areum denounced as a victim-playing snake by the "loyal" fans.
All of that is without even considering what we know about Areum, who said that Hwayoung was a friend who took good care of her and that she was hurt by the staff. That suggests Hwayoung's bad relationship with the staff may have been more their fault than hers. It seems that they didn't like new members, and Areum lasted a little under a year in T-ara before she jumped ship (or was pushed overboard, it is not clear which). If it was her choice the stress of being in a group accused of bullying was surely part of the reason, but the loss of her friend Hwayoung and the staff problem were likely to be part of it too, probably more than the Hyoyoung incident.
The second alternative history is one in which no additions are made to the group. T-ara's most successful period was when Hwayoung was a member and she did help to attract new fans, but it is reasonable to think that Roly Poly and Lovey Dovey would still have been very big hits without her. The Budokan concerts would have passed without incident but T-ara's excessive workload would have caused problems eventually. Early in 2012 the members complained that they had not had a day off in over a year. To achieve long-term success the management needed to keep them happy and excited about they were doing and encourage them to work together for the good of the group, but KKS responded by threatening to replace members if he thought they weren't meeting his expectations. That is a terrible way to manage them that was likely to make them feel that they were in competition with each other and increase stress and tension, and it was probably one of the reasons for the conflict that led to the scandal.
Without Hwayoung the crisis would not have come when it did, but it was the scandal that slowed down their schedule and without it they would have kept working far too hard. Something probably would have gone badly wrong eventually; whether that would be their mental health, conflict within the group just a general loss of interest resulting in tired and lacklustre performances I don't know. The last of those is something they were criticised for even before KKS said he would replace members who fell below the standards he demanded.
T-ara were so badly managed that they probably would have run into serious trouble soon, with or without added members. From the position they were actually in, if Hwayoung's injury had not happened when it did they might have had a scandal about bullying Areum or Dani instead. They did have a mini-scandal when Areum left, which was as fake as the one involving Hwayoung. Because it was what people expected of T-ara it didn't become a big thing and didn't affect their popularity, so there was no attempt to demonise Areum, but what would have happened if the Areum scandal had been the first? It would have been just like the Hwayoung one, with T-ara hated for being bullies and Areum denounced as a victim-playing snake by the "loyal" fans.
Monday, July 13, 2020
10) Is Kim Kwang Soo the anonymous former staff member? (AFSM)
Reasons for being suspicious about AFSM's motive and honesty
Anonymity
We don't know who is
telling the story and that does not inspire trust. There are a number
of possible reasons for it, some more honourable than others. A real
staff member might be afraid of the reaction from Hwayoung fans; it
could be to enable AFSM to tell a lie without Hwayoung knowing that
it wasn't just a mistake because she didn't know what the person
actually witnessed; or it could be because AFSM was not really so innocent and
wanted to prevent Hwayoung presenting her own counter-allegations.
Accusation of playing the victim.
Why would Hwayoung
want to do that? She was doing well in her acting career and had a
new drama series, My Father is Strange, starting a few weeks after
Taxi. Bringing up the subject of problems in T-ara couldn't do her
any good but could be damaging, as we saw, especially if the Hyoyoung
story came out.
All Hwayoung said about T-ara was what Eunjung had
said on The Beatle2 Code in 2013. There was no suggestion of
bullying or any mistreatment and no implication that anyone else was
more to blame for what happened than she was. All the talk of crying
and losing weight was about the time after she left the group, not
before. Anyone who was a staff member at the time will understand
that and know that she didn't weigh just 40kg when she was a T-ara
member.
That was one of the things that happened but it
came after three days of conflict between Hwayoung and the other
members, which was what she meant. The threat was bad but there was
no actual violence and it doesn't mean the twins are the most evil
people in Korea as I have seen some T-ara fans suggest. Far worse
things happen every day, it was probably more an expression of
drunken anger than a real intention to scratch Areums face, and
Hwayoung had nothing to do with it, but it was a shock for sweet,
sensitive Areum and she has my sympathy.
Hyoyoung had apologised years earlier and Areum has said that she
was very upset by the criticism the twins received because of this
story. As that was an obvious consequence of revealing it I think it
is very unlikely that she would have agreed to it.
Why use a picture that had brought Areum so much
unwanted attention, with suggestions that she was possessed? Probably
to make people associate that with the threat from Hyoyoung and
increase anger among the fans.
Reasons for suspecting KKS
The messages
Why did AFSM have a copy of Hyoyoung's messages?
It isn't normal for an employee to take information like that when
leaving a company but it is understandable for MBK to have it.
Timing
Why then and not years before? T-ara's fans often
say that Hwayoung continually played the victim for years (but can
never give me an example) so there should have been plenty of
opportunities to use that excuse for leaking the story, but it's
possible that AFSM had only recently left the company.
Preparation
TVN's trailer encouraged a hostile mood among
fans, but we all know it doesn't take much to do that.
AKP staff reported "She'll be fully opening up about her leave from T-ara on next week's episode of 'Taxi'."
An AKP user wrote "Hwayoung will also open up about the past controversy with T-ara."
“Again using t-ara”
Looks like she still always has to bring them up to boost her 'career'"
She really is a good actress, she fooled a whole nation into believing she was "bullied" and now she tries to get popular with that because back then she realized that she never stood out in T-ara at all lol”
The story told by AFSM was ready to go immediately when the show was aired and appears to be a premeditated attack on the twins, not a reaction to the broadcast. This is a definite red flag. Either AFSM decided, without having seen the interview, to prepare the story and claim that s/he couldn't watch Hwayoung play the victim any more (something she never did), or it was prepared by MBK, perhaps after a tip-off from someone at TVN, but it is very possible that MBK was involved from the very beginning.
KKS knew people in the industry and he could easily arrange to have Hwayoung invited onto a show and asked the right questions so that the answers could be spun as victim-playing. That could be followed by having Kim Woori on a show and getting him to talk about Hwayoung and the staff and editing it to make Hwayoung look bad. That was the knockout blow because the Taxi interview really had no substance.
Record of lying and treating the members badly
KKS lied about
Hwayoung when he sacked her and is now being investigated for vote
rigging in the Produce 101 survival show.
Edit: He was was convicted in January 2021.
On January 22, legal sources reported that the Seoul Central District Court had sentenced Kim Kwang Soo, the general producer of MBK Entertainment, and “Park” (Park Kyu Heon), the CEO of PocketDol Studio, which is a subsidiary of MBK, to fines of 10 million won each (about $9,100). , the general producer of MBK Entertainment, and “Park” (Park Kyu Heon), the CEO of PocketDol Studio, which is a subsidiary of MBK, to fines of 10 million won each (about $9,100).
The two have been indicted on charges of obstruction of business. Both have been charged with buying 10,000 IDs between March and April 2016 and making MBK Entertainment employees use these borrowed IDs to vote and raise the rankings of three trainees from the agency. This resulted in about 89,228 false votes being cast in the third and final rounds of voting in the first season of “Produce 101.”
The court stated, “The defendants used illegal methods to raise the rankings of their agency trainees on the audition program by acquiring false IDs en masse and forcing company employees and trainees to vote. This had an effect on the rankings. Even though the defendants had produced and planned audition-style programs themselves, they not only failed to cultivate a clear, transparent, and fair business culture, but even used false votes and other secretive methods to sow distrust.”
When Hwayoung
was fired KKS said that 19 staff members out 19 wanted her to go. Was
that vote rigged too?
The way he overworked the members and made them fear for their places was probably one of the biggest causes of the tension that led to the scandal.
Lack of any sense of AFSM being there
It's all very impersonal, as if was written by
someone who has been told about the events and not by a witness. It
even includes this sentence:
"Seeing everything happen from afar, on
one hand, I understand why the members said those things."
"So
we went to the hospital in Japan. Sure enough, they
said there was nothing wrong and she wouldn’t need a cast."
Again the staff interviewed by Dispatch tell a different story.
The following is the testimony of a staff member who has been close to T-ara and in his private life
'"Hyomin tried to start a conversation. She sincerely wanted to address the problem. Hwayoung saw that sincerity too. She said, ‘I got it,” she walked alone afterwards and practiced by herself. Her expression was different.”
According to this staff, the situation was thought to be resolved with that. Then Hwayoung’s unnie, Hyoyoung, sent out the text messages exactly 1 hour before Music Bank went live.
Conclusion
Is AFSM really KKS? I can't say for certain, but I think it's very likely. Until the question is asked and answered in Korea we won't really know.
The other question is this. If the story was revealed in such a dishonest way, with no concern for how Areum would be affected, how much of it should we believe? I have never thought that it was the whole truth or pure truth; there is some truth in it, but to me it always seemed insincere and cynical.
Monday, January 21, 2019
1) Preface
How
did T-ara go from being one of the most popular groups in South Korea
to the most hated, and who was responsible for their downfall? On
these pages I will tell you
the truth of a story that many people think they know but few
understand.
These are some of the questions that will be answered here.
These are some of the questions that will be answered here.
Did T-ara bully Hwayoung?
Did Hwayoung say she was bullied?
What has Hwayoung said about T-ara?
What have T-ara said about Hwayoung?
What did Hwayoung say on Taxi?
Why do some T-ara fans hate Hwayoung?
Was Hwayoung really injured?
Was Hwayoung lazy?
Did Hwayoung ruin T-ara's career?
Did Hwayoung play the victim?
If
you have come to this page with little or no knowledge of the story
you have chosen the right place to learn about it. I have not seen
anything on this subject which is anywhere near as fair, truthful and
thorough. Those of you who believe you already know all about it you may be in
for a few shocks, but please read it all and think carefully for a
while rather than just reacting angrily. There is really nothing here
that should upset any fans unless they are among the people who
contributed to the problem.
T-ara
were wrongly accused and treated very badly. Some people think that I
am biased against them, or even that I hate them, but that is
completely wrong. They made some mistakes but they realized what they
done wrong and apologized, and their behaviour has been exemplary
ever since. They are fallible but lovabIe and I genuinely respect and
admire them.
Your
responses are welcome if you have genuine points that you want to
discuss, but I will check them before publication to prevent the
comment section filling up with the usual "bitch" and
"snake" that we have seen so many times before.
No
T-ara fan should be angry about anything I have written here, but
somebody clearly is, as you can see in the first comment. Hwayoung
never called for anyone's throat to be cut, so does this person
really think that he or she is better? Please don't give me any more
comments inciting murder. The only reason I am publishing this one is
to show how toxic the culture of Hwayoung hating is. It's just like
the T-ara hating that went on for years.
Many
of the Hwayoung haters say that she must apologize before they can
forgive her. What they mean is that she must apologize for all the
things that they accuse her of doing, but I believe that will never
happen because she didn't do most of those things. This means the
haters hang onto their pain and anger. They could learn from the
example of Eva Kor, who died this month, July 2019. As a child she
was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp where she and her
twin sister were among 1500 pairs of twins used for experiments by
the infamous Josef Mengele. The rest of her family were killed and
most of the twins died, but Eva and her sister survived. As an adult
she realized that she needed to forgive the people who had done
terrible things to her and when she did it freed her. You can hear
her talking about it in a podcast of BBC Radio 4's Last Word
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/eva-kor-christopher-booker-jo%C3%A3o-gilberto-john-mccririck/id405514067?i=1000444314934
If she
could forgive those people then the haters can forgive Hwayoung.
Perhaps they could start with something they might find easier and
forgive T-ara for getting themselves into trouble with their tweets,
and I mean genuinely forgive them, not just insist that it was right
or that Hwayoung made them do it. They could then see the story from
a different angle and accept T-ara's admission that they could have
avoided the whole problem by acting in a more mature way.
Updated 20 July 2019
Updated 20 July 2019
2) Summary
T-ara,
a K-pop (South Korean) girl group, made their debut in July 2009 with
six members: Boram,
Qri, Soyeon, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon. They worked hard and gradually became popular, but
things went badly wrong in 2012 when their reputation was ruined by
rumours that one member of the group was bullied by the others.
In
December 2010 Ryu Hwayoung, then 17, or 18 in Korean age, was added
to the group by the CEO, Kim Kwang Soo (KKS), supposedly as a rapper. She
did not appear to be needed, as they already had Eunjung and Hyomin
who could rap well enough. Putting her in T-ara was a risky move, as
she might upset the dynamic of the group, and one which was unlikely
to add anything of real value unless she was a good singer. Hwayoung
had only been training with the company, CCM, for about six months,
and was severely lacking in certain areas. She had no experience of
the business and lacked the social skills that she would need to cope
with being put into an already successful and well-bonded group.
Despite that, she performed admirably as a dancer and rapper
throughout her time in T-ara. It's difficult to assess her singing
because she never has any solo lines, but from what I can hear she
seems adequate for what she was asked to do.
There
was persistent bullying, but it was done by the CEO. He made the
group suffer for years, then when they complained early in 2012 about
being overworked and not having had a single day off in more than a
year, he threatened to replace members, and announced two more new
members, Areum and Dani (who never became a member) to show he was
serious.
[OP-ED] Is T-ara's member change a way for Kim Kwang Soo to punish T-ara? | allkpop.com
KKS continued to work the group as hard as before, and some sort of breakdown was inevitable. With the six original members having the strongest bond it was always likely that the first victims would be Hwayoung and Areum, and that is the way it turned out.
On 23 July 2012, Hwayoung sprained her ankle after a performance in Ulsan, and when they returned to Seoul she went to a hospital accompanied by a manager, and then to another with her father. According to reports from KKS and staff the manager reported that the first hospital said there was nothing wrong and she was fit to perform.
[OP-ED] Is T-ara's member change a way for Kim Kwang Soo to punish T-ara? | allkpop.com
KKS continued to work the group as hard as before, and some sort of breakdown was inevitable. With the six original members having the strongest bond it was always likely that the first victims would be Hwayoung and Areum, and that is the way it turned out.
On 23 July 2012, Hwayoung sprained her ankle after a performance in Ulsan, and when they returned to Seoul she went to a hospital accompanied by a manager, and then to another with her father. According to reports from KKS and staff the manager reported that the first hospital said there was nothing wrong and she was fit to perform.
The next day the
group flew to Japan for two concerts at the Budokan, a prestigious
14,000 seat arena in Tokyo, on 25 and 26 July. The members had had three hours of sleep, but Hwayoung must have had less. On arriving in Japan she went to a third
hospital seeking further treatment for her ankle, and after that she asked to be taken to the hotel
to rest instead of attending the rehearsal. Her absence angered the other
members, and others who were working to put on the show, because they
had to rearrange all their routines and the rehearsal took far longer
than it would normally. The severity of Hwayoung's injury is
disputed; it seems that the other members thought it was not as bad
as she claimed, while she thought they were underestimating it. I
think they were, because it is hard to imagine that she would want to
miss such a big event which was the climax of their Japanese tour. An
hour before the first concert, at which Hwayoung performed only one
song, sitting on a chair, one of the members, Hyomin, wrote on
Twitter about differences in determination and four other members,
Eunjung, Jiyeon, Soyeon and Boram, retweeted and added to it. That
was a catastrophic mistake. Criticizing another member of the group
in public gave the impression that they wanted to humiliate her and
opened them up to be attacked. Hwayoung responded to the tweets,
saying "Sometimes determination is not enough," and thus
confirmed the obvious inference that they were about her. The two
members who took no part in the Twitter episode were Qri and Areum.
As
result of those tweets, rumours started on the internet that T-ara
had been bullying Hwayoung throughout her time in the group. On 27
July they were back in Korea to appear on a TV show, Music Bank,
singing the same song that Hwayoung had performed at the concerts.
They had a discussion at which they apparently sorted out their
problems and apologized to each other for what they had done. After
the camera rehearsal, Areum received some threatening messages from
Hwayoung's twin sister Hyoyoung, who was angry about Areum not
supporting Hwayoung in the argument that had been going on, but which
by this time had been resolved. This part of the story was kept quiet
for a long time, for reasons that I will examine later.
I
think Hwayoung was rather shy and in awe of the others when she
joined. She tended to be a bit withdrawn and didn't integrate very
well, but she was more sure of herself with Areum, who was younger
and a late recruit like her, so she became Areum's friend and had
been helping and encouraging her. Others will tell you that's not
true, but these suggest it is, and in January 2018 Areum said that
Hwayoung was a friend and who cared for her a lot. (Reference in Part
2)
That
is why Hwayoung was upset about not having Areum's support, and she
must have moaned about it to her sister, not expecting her to react
the way she did. What Hyoyoung did was bad and there is no excuse for
it, but it would not have happened without T-ara's tweets and there
is no excuse for those either (although the threat was certainly worse). As you would expect, Hyoyoung's
messages shook the group up again and KKS told Hwayoung not to take
part in the performance. On 30 July KKS announced that Hwayoung was
being dismissed for behaviour that hurt teamwork, after complaints
from 19 staff members, and for refusing to go on stage at Music Bank,
even though he had told her not to.
Did
KKS tell Hwayoung not to go on stage so that he could use her absence
as an excuse to fire her? It seems strange that Hwayoung's behaviour
was suddenly thought to be such a serious problem just after the
scandal started. If she was so bad why wasn't she removed before? The
most likely explanation, and one that was quite popular at the time,
is that KKS sacrificed her to save T-ara from a big scandal, thinking
that if he portrayed her as a trouble maker, the public wouldn't care
about the bullying issue, but that was not entirely successful. The
public wouldn't swallow it, but some T-ara fans did. It would have
been better to keep Hwayoung in the group, as the other members
wanted, give her ankle time to recover, and try to sort out the
problems in the way she dealt with the staff.
By
this time the bullying scandal had taken hold and Hwayoung's
departure from T-ara only intensified it. Since then, Hwayoung has
been very loyal to T-ara, making it absolutely clear that
the bullying rumours were false, wishing them success, expressing
sympathy for the persecution they suffered and never blaming them for
what happened to her, but T-ara fans accused her of pretending she
was bullied and “playing the victim.” It's not true, and why
would she want to do that? The reason they usually offer is to
improve her image, but that would be a terribly risky strategy. If
she was lying and the truth came out, her reputation would be ruined.
Hwayoung had another reason to want the the scandal to stop, and that
is to protect her sister and herself. If someone leaked the story of
Hyoyoung threatening Areum, Hyoyoung would be vilified, and many
people would blame Hwayoung for it too. She really had nothing to
gain from the scandal and no reason to encourage it. A lot of people
claim that Hwayoung took advantage of the scandal to gain sympathy
and keep herself in the public eye. She did have sympathy, mostly for
something she said didn't happen, but that is all it was. She had no
work for two years, but she she eventually started to get acting
roles, and after about four years she got a good one.
T-ara, meanwhile, have been similarly loyal to Hwayoung, apologizing for not making her feel more secure as part of the group, saying nothing about the problems caused by her behaviour and never blaming her for what happened to them. Both sides felt they had been wronged, but they forgave each other, so they have been able to move on from their problems. They were on opposing sides in their dispute, but they have always been on the same side in the scandal. On the other side are those who accuse T-ara of bullying and those who accuse Hwayoung of wrecking T-ara's reputation. Sadly, many fans did not understand that and felt the need to choose between T-ara and Hwayoung. By doing that they chose the side of lies and hate instead of the side of truth and reconciliation. Many of the fans who did not abandon T-ara became fanatical Hwayoung haters, and even after six years they still claim that Hwayoung tried to ruin T-ara by claiming she was bullied, but that is completely false.
T-ara's popularity plummeted; they became the most hated group in Korea, a petition calling for them to be disbanded attracted 200,000 names, and they suffered years of abuse. They had to concentrate on other countries, and did very well, particularly in China. Areum left T-ara in July 2013 after performing with them for one year. The hate that T-ara received was one of the things that affected her, another was the ridicule and abuse directed at her for some photographs taken after she painted her face for Halloween. There were also rumours of T-ara bullying her, which added to her troubles, but they never took hold in the same way as they did with Hwayoung, despite Areum's Instagram post, four months after she left, saying “The people I hate the most right now are the CEO, unnies, and the journalists!” Like Hwayoung, she was not happy at the time of her departure, but since then she has been as loyal to T-ara as Hwayoung has.
In February 2017 Hwayoung and Hyoyoung appeared on a TV show called Taxi and talked about life after Hwayoung left T-ara. There was really nothing in that interview that should anger any T-ara fan, but it was widely misinterpreted in the most spectacular fashion. Nearly everyone seemed to think that Hwayoung talked about being bullied and said she had a terrible time in T-ara, but there was no mention of bullying or any sort of mistreatment. A former staff member was enraged, or perhaps just took advantage of the outcry for personal vengeance, and he or she revealed the story of Hyoyoung's threat to the press. along with some other things that I will examine later. Even though it told us nothing about how T-ara treated Hwayoung, the new information about Hyoyoung was taken as proof that the twins were evil and had been bullying T-ara all along, so they were now the baddies, and it followed in a simple step of non-logic that T-ara, who had previously been evil bullies, must be the goodies, so they were seen to be vindicated and their reputation was restored. The question of why Hyoyoung was so angry seems to have been conveniently ignored, and there was a widespread backlash against the twins. Areum didn't want that story to be revealed, and to make matters worse the reporter who was given the Hyoyoung story used the old pictures that had brought Areum so much abuse to accompany it, which upset her further: “The pictures bring up such hurtful memories that you wouldn’t even begin to understand and it makes me feel like I’m dying. Why would you use me in such a way?”
Areum begs reporters to stop leaking her photos, says she feels like dying - Koreaboo
In January 2018, Areum said that Hyoyoung had apologized to her years before the story was revealed, and that she was on good terms with the twins:
“It’s
true that Hyoyoung sent me a threatening message. However, she
contacted me after I left the group. She apologized and worried about
me a lot. She said she was really sorry.”
“Hwayoung,
who was a T-ara member with me, honestly took care of me a lot. She
treasured me a lot because we were both new members.”
“At
that time, I was very upset that Ryu Hwayoung and Ryu Hyoyoung
received a lot of criticism from the public because of what happened
between us. It was because, in a way, they were the people I was most
grateful to.”
“I’m
really fine now. I let go of the past and started anew. I hope many
good things will happen to them and me.”
It is strange that Hyoyoung apparently waited until after Areum left T-ara a year later to apologize. It may that there is a problem with the translation and Areum means after Hwayoung left the group. That makes more sense. I always thought that Hyoyoung would not have been allowed to stay in the company if she had not apologized, and Hwayoung would have made Hyoyoung apologize if she didn't do so very quickly. If the apology was given soon after the incident then the rest of the group and the staff would surely have known about it. That would cast further suspicion on the motives of the person who leaked the messages. If he or she knew that Hyoyoung and Areum had made their peace, and that Areum did not want the story to come out, what sort of character are we dealing with here? We need to know whether the translation is correct.
Further reading
3) Hwayoung Supports T-ara and T-ara Support Hwayoung
There is a widespread
belief that Hwayoung lied about T-ara by claiming she was bullied and
“playing the victim.” Hwayoung haters make these claims as if
they are indisputable and universally accepted facts, but there is
really no truth in them at all. She has never claimed she was bullied
and never played the victim. She has supported to T-ara ever since
her dismissal, wished them success and expressed her sympathy for the
persecution they suffered. She is not responsible for what happened
to T-ara.
On 31 July 2012, the day after Hwayoung was fired, she
posted a message on Twitter in which she called for the rumours to
stop. She worded it rather weakly and vaguely, but at that time she
would have been in a state of shock and bewilderment. Eight days
before she had been performing as normal, then she sprained her ankle
and within a week she had been kicked out of the group.
“To my fans, you've
loved me until now, and I'm sorry that I've only given you
disappointment. Please stop now, and look forward to our more mature
and improved selves in the future. I apologize for making you worry
during this time. I also want to apologize to my Core Contents Media
family. I'll greet you all with a better image next time."
Four weeks later, on 28
August 2012, with the scandal showing no signs of abating, she
clearly felt that the campaign against T-ara was going too far, and
had another go, this time making her meaning unmistakable. She wrote
this on Twitter:
"이번 은정언니
드라마하차기사를 접하고마음이좋지만은 않았습니다.
티아라활동을하면서 멤버들과
의견차로인해 대립이있었던건 사실이지만 이로인해
왕따설이돌고 상황이악화된사실들에 마음이 아팠습니다.
또한 서로 왜곡된사실들로
인해 상처받아 많이속상했습니다.
I feel sad when I read the news about Eunjung unnie has been replaced from her drama. Yes, during last month concert the member are having the conflict and differences opinion in the group but I don’t get it why netizen twisted the story into bullying issue and spread the false rumor. It did a big damage to me and T-ara, we are having really really hard time of this. I am really upset and hurt by this distorted false rumor.
I feel sad when I read the news about Eunjung unnie has been replaced from her drama. Yes, during last month concert the member are having the conflict and differences opinion in the group but I don’t get it why netizen twisted the story into bullying issue and spread the false rumor. It did a big damage to me and T-ara, we are having really really hard time of this. I am really upset and hurt by this distorted false rumor.
하지만 한솥밥을먹고
지내며 행복했던날들도있었기에 지난일은 잊고
이젠다시웃는얼굴로 서로를응원하며 지내고싶습니다.
티아라를 많이사랑해주시고
아껴주시고 찾아주셨는데 이번사건때문에 여러분들에게
많은 심려와 걱정끼쳐드려 죄송했습니다.
I will
never forget the memories of being happy together as T-ara member, I
hope everything will be wash away and we can finally put our smile on
our faces. Lets us all hwaiting! Last I would love to say thanks for
showing me and T-ara support and love, this incident has been giving
you guys a big trouble and I am sorry to let you guys down… I am
sorry"
Alternative translation:
"After reading the news that Eunjung unnie was
withdrawn from her role in her drama, I did not feel good about it.
After the nasty rounds of rumors about me being excluded from the
group went around, the reality of the deteriorated situation was
painful. I was truly hurt from the distortion of the truth.”
Hwayoung also added, “But since we did have our
good times together I want to forget about everything bad that
happened, and wish that we can cheer each other on. Please give T-ara
a lot of love and caring attention. I apologize for causing our fans
to worry because of the recent happenings.”
https://www.soompi.com/article/420450wpp/ex-t-ara-member-hwayoung-speaks-on-eunjung
That is a very clear
statement that the bullying rumours are false, but it was received in
a variety of ways. KpopStarz reported it sensibly and accurately. “Hwayoung Directly Denies
Bullying Rumors Associated with 'T-ARA Crisis' …Internet users
commented, 'Hwayoung has said herself that it is not bullying so lets
stop all this drama...'”
Some T-ara fans were already so committed to hating Hwayoung that
they didn't want to know what she was saying. "Honestly I dont
know what she said and I dont care. The time for her to talk was end
of July/beg of August. She stayed quiet to maximize damage to T-ARA.
Hwasshole can go to HELL"
Why It Makes Me Sorry That Hwayoung Is Sorry – Seoulbeats
Why It Makes Me Sorry That Hwayoung Is Sorry – Seoulbeats
So that fan would rather have his idols suffer years of hate
and abuse than listen to Hwayoung, just because he missed her first
attempt to stop the scandal, and all those fans who hate her have
taken the same attitude. By accusing her of claiming she was bullied
they gave the story more credibility and effectively campaigned
against T-ara. That Seoulbeats page is well worth a read, along with
this one:
The next day, T-ara
published a statement on their website, apologizing for their
“immature” actions and asking the fans to “give
generous support and love to Hwayoung”
“We are
writing this letter after a long period of thinking.
The past
month has felt longer than our pre-debut trainee years or the years
that we spent receiving love from our fans.
First, we
would like to sincerely apologize for hurting and disappointing so
many people.
Not being
able to solve the issue of the difference of our members’ will
amongst ourselves and making our personal problems viewable to the
public was a very immature thing to do and we are deeply reflecting
upon our actions. We sincerely apologize for acting so carelessly.
If we
would’ve understood, sacrificed and acted more maturely toward each
other, none of this would have ever happened. At the thought of this,
each and every day was so torturous to us.
When we look
back, we know that everyone carried the same dream going forward and
we tried to overcome hardships together. But in just one momentary
action, those good times were shone with a negative light and it
really pained our hearts.
We also think
that it must have been so hard for Hwayoung, who was suffering
because of the misunderstandings people had about her being bullied.
We were all
so shocked at all of this because no one wanted it and no one even
thought of this happening. And now, we are truly saddened that we
cannot be together [with Hwayoung] anymore. We only hope that nothing
hurtful will happen to Hwayoung from now on.
To all the
people who were worried because of us, to all the disappointed people
who loved our music – we are truly sorry.
We believe
that this hard time was truly a big lesson for all of our members.
Since we need to be ones to give strength to others, we realize how
much of a responsibility we have and how we must take responsibility
over every single thing we do.
From now on,
to our parents who live for us, to all the fans who stayed with us
till the end, to all the people who listen to our music… and to all
of those who we’ve worried and disappointed – instead of breaking
down, we would like to work even harder by asking for forgiveness.
We genuinely
apologize. We also hope that you will give generous support and love
to Hwayoung, who probably had it harder than us. We will always be
supporting Hwayoung as well.”
On September 10, in a phone interview with Dispatch, Hwayoung said, "I tried my best to wait patiently
for their comeback performance. It’s because I was a T-Ara member
before. Of course I’d be curious. That’s why I watched them with
interest. I hope they’ll do well. I’m always cheering for them.”
Interview With Hwayoung: “I Hope They’ll Do Well” | Soompi
Interview With Hwayoung: “I Hope They’ll Do Well” | Soompi
Hwayoung gave T-ara further support in an interview in January 2014:
“There's definitely things I did
wrong, and I didn't get along very well with the other T-ARA members.
But now everything's okay. While I rested I thought about suffering
during practice with the other members, and how we would perform on
stage. I hope that someday I'll be able to meet them again. Although
we're no longer walking the same path, isn't there a chance that I'll
meet the T-ARA members in entertainment or drama? I hope that
actually happens. If it does I first want to say to them, 'Take
courage!' That's because I know how much they had to suffer. I also
want to see them, 'See you at the top.'"
She also commented that the manipulated photos and "evidence"
by netizens were absurd and frustrated
If T-ara fans had used Hwayoung's evidence to clear them and
treated her as T-ara asked them to instead of accusing her of lying,
the scandal would have finished much sooner. The Hwayoung haters were
T-ara's enemies and made it drag on for years.
4) Taxi
There is a very common
belief that when Hwayoung appeared on Taxi, she talked about being
bullied by T-ara and said that she had terrible time as a member. She
did not. She said absolutely nothing about bullying and only a few
words about her time in the group. This is the section of the
interview that was given such a bad reception, copied from the English subtitles,
http://www.kcon.tv/media/SJ0BmT0_Ol
http://www.kcon.tv/media/SJ0BmT0_Ol
but unfortunately the video is not available because www.kcon.tv no longer exists.
I heard Hwayoung was
more determined to become a singer.
That's true. It was
disappointing, but if you think about it things can happen among
girls. Members were immature back then. I'm including myself; I was a
minor then.
You were young
I poured everything into singing, so I
didn't get to experience the socialization process. I regret that.
You gave up your dream. Didn't it hurt?
You know, it really hurts.
Did you cry by yourself?
Many times.
In front of your sister?
No,
alone in my room.
Aww...poor Hwayoung...
There was a time when I lost
a lot of weight. Unni told me to stop losing weight. I weighed 40kg
back then. There was nothing I could do.
But you're an extrovert by
nature...But it's your dream... Your sister sacrificed herself for
that dream. How did you feel watching her, Hyoyoung?
Yeah, during
that incident she'd turn on TV and just stare at other singers
(At
this point we see that Hwayoung has turned her head and is looking
through the window.) That's when my heart ached. (Now we see that
Hwayoung's eyes are filling with tears.)
Compare Hwayoung on Taxi with Eunjung on The Beatle2 Code and T-ara in their apology letter reproduced in Section 3.
Eunjung:
“It was our fault because we were careless and immature.”
T-ara Apologize – YouTube
Hwayoung: “Things can happen among girls. Members were immature then. I'm including myself.”
T-ara Apologize – YouTube
Hwayoung: “Things can happen among girls. Members were immature then. I'm including myself.”
That is all Hwayoung said on Taxi
about the problems that occurred within T-ara. Why should T-ara fans
be angry when what she said matches what Eunjung had said previously?
They should not, but the Hwayoung haters were incandescent with rage.
Some people have interpreted this as an attempt to blame T-ara for
the problems, because she says “members” first, but that is
ridiculous because she was one of the members and she adds “I'm
including myself” immediately to emphasize that. The truth is that
it's an attempt to take the pressure off T-ara. If Hwayoung could
dismiss the whole thing as something that happened because of
immaturity and poor communication, then there was no reason for
anyone to continue campaigning against T-ara. The interpretation of the ex-staffer who
leaked Hyoyoung story was that
when Hwayoung said “things can happen among girls”
she was referring to the threat, but that is very unlikely. Hwayoung was talking about the
problems between herself and the other T-ara members. The Hyoyoung
story was not known to the public and none of the people involved
wanted it to come out, so why would Hwayoung talk about that?
Hwayoung haters also object to her crying in the interview, which
did not happen until her sister was talking about how she felt
watching Hwayoung going through such a hard time, and even object to
her saying that she cried after she was fired. I don't know how many
of them think she meant that she cried while she was a member of
T-ara, but anyone who thinks that has not watched the video of the
interview carefully. The crying is what I would expect from anyone in
her position. She had been kicked out of T-ara after working very
hard and giving great performances. She was shocked, she was
depressed, she was grieving, and that was because she wanted to stay
in T-ara. She should have the sympathy of the fans, but they reacted
with fury and vile abuse. Hwayoung has shown concern and sympathy for T-ara throughout the
years, but her haters don't seem to have genuinely considered her feelings at
all.
Earlier in the
interview there is something interesting. For a while I thought this
might be something that had stimulated some anger, but it seems to
have gone unnoticed. When the twins are asked about the differences
between them, Hyoyoung says that Hwayoung doesn't hold grudges. T-ara
fans might have thought the intention was to suggest that a grudge
would be justified and to portray T-ara as villains, while presenting
Hwayoung as a kind and forgiving person, when she really wants to
gain sympathy and publicity for herself while taking revenge on
T-ara. And there you have it; Hwayoung, in a few words spoken by
someone else, simultaneously “playing the victim” and “taking
the high road”, as the angry ex-staffer put it, but that would be
the wrong way to take it. If Hyoyoung's mention of Hwayoung not
holding grudges was an intentional, planned reference to T-ara, then
surely it was aimed not at them, but at their haters. If Hwayoung has
no grudge against T-ara, then there is really no reason for anyone
else to hate them. There is another possible meaning though, which I think is
far more convincing. Hyoyoung is talking about Hwayoung not holding a
grudge against her. It was Hyoyoung's shocking texts to Areum,
probably written while drunk, that scuppered Hwayoung's
reconciliation with Ta-ara. The next day Hyoyoung would have thought,
“Oh no, what have I done? Hwayoung will never forgive me.” It
must have been difficult for Hwayoung, knowing that her sister
destroyed any chance she still had of remaining in the group, but she
was able to forgive her. Now it all makes sense; Hyoyoung holding
Hwayoung's hand so tight, Hwayoung saying "I want to reveal some
truths," Hyoyoung saying, "Until here is good. Say more,
it'll be a disaster." Angry T-ara fans will not believe that
"Hwasnake" is someone who can forgive others for any wrongs
they have done her, because, in their view, they are the good people
and Hwayoung is a snake. That means that Hyoyoung has to be lying,
and Hwayoung really does hold grudges, so the reason for saying that
has to be to make people think that she has a reason to have a
grudge, and that T-ara bullied her. The reality, though, is that it
is not a lie, but absolutely, undeniably true. That's why Hwayoung
has remained so close to Hyoyoung, and why she has always supported
T-ara despite being angry at first. It is ironic that the story which
turned the scandal around and made Hwayoung so hated is one which
actually proves her to be a far more loving and forgiving person than
all those who call her a snake or a bitch, and hold her responsible
for all T-ara's troubles. They now loudly proclaim their triumph, but
fail to realize that it shows them for the vicious bullies they
really are, and that it proves nothing either way about the other
T-ara members. I have no doubt about T-ara; there was never any
serious case against them.
5) The Ankle Injury
Many T-ara fans claim that Hwayoung pretended to be injured before
T-ara's first concerts at the Budokan, a 14,000 seat arena in Tokyo,
because she was lazy and wanted to avoid working. This is complete
nonsense. She loved being on stage and put a lot of effort into it. See
this live Lovey Dovey, two and a half months before the Budokan
concerts. Hwayoung is the one wearing the yellow top.
120512 티아라(T-ARA) Lovey Dovey @ Dream Concert - YouTube
There's no way she would have wanted to miss out on a big event like that. At the concerts she performed just one song, Day by Day, sitting on a chair. It is said that the rehearsal should have taken about two hours, but because of the changes to the choreography and lighting forced by her not taking part in the dances it took eight hours. The Budokan concerts, on 25 and 26 July 2012 were the end of a Japanese tour which started in June, so virtually all the work had been done already. Long rehearsal sessions are normal when preparing for concerts, but by that time they all knew exactly what they were doing and would only need to adjust to the different stage where they would be performing, so if Hwayoung faked the injury because she was lazy, what was the work that she was trying to avoid? It's just not credible that she would do all the hard work to prepare and then decide to drop out just before the climax of the tour.
On 23 July 2012, after T-ara performed at the Ulsan Music Core Special, Hwayoung twisted her ankle, then they travelled back to Seoul, arriving at 3am. The members had about three hours of sleep before flying to Japan, and Hwayoung must have had less than the others that night because she went to the hospital seeking treatment. She was keen to obtain a cast or brace for her leg, but why did she want that? Most people seem to assume that it was because she wanted to appear more injured than she really was, but it's more likely that she just wanted something that would give the ankle enough support to enable her to perform at the Budokan, which would be two days after the injury occurred. She may have thought that might give her time to recover enough for the first of the concerts, but, looking at the available evidence, my guess is that she had a Grade 2 sprain:
"moderate to severe pain with severe difficulty on walking. Minor bruising and swelling may present immediately but can take several hours (up to 48) to develop. The ankle will feel very stiff but may also feel unstable resulting from a number of torn ligament fibres. Recovery time is between 4 and 8 weeks."
Sprained Ankle - Treatment, Rehabilitation & Exercises
If that is right, then the truth is that with the injury she had, there was never any possibility of her being able to perform on her feet so soon. After arriving in Japan she went to another hospital. She already had the brace, but must have felt that it was not sufficient, so she was looking for extra treatment. “Just like what the hospitals in Korea said, the hospital in Japan also said a leg cast was unnecessary. It would heal naturally, but it did need extra attention.”
A Chronological Timeline and Conclusion of the T-ara Scandal, Dispatch’s interview with T-ara’s staff | Diadem
I have seen many comments claiming that the doctors told her there was nothing wrong, but what they said is that the ankle did not need a cast, which is not normally used for sprains. The proper treatment for Hwayoung's injury is PRICE. “The best ankle sprain treatment to start with is PRICE: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. This aims to reduce the bleeding, swelling and pain around the injured ligament which helps to speed up healing.”
Ankle Sprain Treatment, Recovery & Prevention - Foot Pain Explored
So the hospital would have advised that she needed to rest the ankle and definitely not dance on it. That immediately wipes out virtually all of her performance, as she had very little solo singing and a few raps that could be done by other members. Some have argued that if she was not fit to dance, she should have sat at the side and sung, but would anyone really notice the absence of Hwayoung's voice? Probably the only part when the others could not easily cover for her vocally was the rap segments of Day By Day, and she was on stage for that.
Another thing that often I see is people telling us how Eunjung and Jiyeon performed with injuries. When Eunjung had an ankle injury T-ara were promoting Lovey Dovey, and they were promoting Number 9 when Jiyeon was suffering from synovitis in her knee. They really shouldn't have been performing with those problems, but it's one thing to limp around on a bad leg for a few minutes and quite another to do it for an entire two-hour concert, and it's worth noting that Eunjung made her injury worse and was absent from the later performances.
Because Hwayoung was not going to be dancing at the concert, the choreography had to be adjusted, and the rehearsal is said to have gone on for eight hours. She should have gone to the rehearsal to contribute whatever she could and to help maintain morale, but the other members should have supported her when she had an injury that put her out of action, rather than making their own amateur diagnosis and ganging up on the girl who was missing the chance to perform at the big event. By the time she left may well have been very tired and distressed both physically and mentally, and if the other members were already accusing Hwayoung of exaggerating her injury on the flight, as seems likely, then it's not surprising that she wanted to stay away from them. The idea that she missed the rehearsal to get her nails done is ridiculous and false. That was just something that she thought of because she wasn't going to be doing much else, and there is some doubt about whether she had her nails done that day.
The following is a reply I wrote to someone who claimed that Hwayoung was not faking the injury at first, but the next day she was fine and just didn't want to do the concerts.
If Hwayoung was not faking the injury at first she was not faking it over the next few days either because sprained ankles take a long time to heal. Sprains are classified as Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3.
Grade 1 – Stretched ligaments, some pain, some stiffness, some difficulty walking or running. Recovery time 2 to 4 weeks.
Grade 2 – Torn ligaments, moderate to severe pain with severe difficulty walking. Minor bruising and swelling which may take as long as two days to develop, so it may not look bad at first. The ankle will feel very stiff and may feel unstable. Recovery time 4 to 8 weeks.
Grade 3 – Severe tears or complete ruptures of ligaments. Severe pain immediately and the ankle may feel very unstable and weak. Swelling usually develops immediately and bruising often develops over the next two days. X-ray often required to ensure no bones are broken. Recovery time up to three months.
Sprained Ankle - Treatment, Rehabilitation & Exercises
Some claim that Hwayoung's x-ray showed there was nothing wrong, but the ligaments are not visible on an x-ray, so it cannot do that, and that fact that an x-ray was done suggests that the injury was quite bad. Sportsinjuryclinic tells us that an x-ray is often required with a Grade 3 sprain, but does not mention it for Grade 1 or Grade 2. For a Grade 1 the x-ray would be probably be considered unnecessary, for a Grade 2 it might be done just to make sure. Hwayoung's injury does not appear to have been as bad as a Grade 3, so the x-ray may have been requested by the patient or by the company, who were keen for her to perform at the concerts, but presumably not if she had broken bones. The mistake was thinking that because the bones were not broken there was nothing seriously wrong.
I think Hwayoung's injury was probably a Grade 2 sprain, not just because of the x-rays, but because it fits her behaviour; walking a bit, perhaps to try it out and see what she could do, then deciding that she needed assistance. If I am right it is likely she would be back to normal some time in late August or September, and there was never any possibility of her being fit for those concerts.
23 July – Injury
24 July – Rehearsal
25 July – First concert
26 July – Second concert
27 July – Music Bank
Elenora wrote some very good comments on Soompi about how a misunderstanding could happen. They are among best contributions to the Hwayoung debate that I have seen.
Elenora -> Sorbet Mei
I am deeply skeptical about the staff opinion regarding the ankle injury. There's a misconception that you either break your ankle or don't - the truth is you can really screw up the ligaments and tendons and it hurts like the devil and frequently doesn't repair because there's nothing that can be done. You can't see that damage on an x-ray, you need an MRI. Most of the time they won't give you a cast but walking is very difficult (if possible at all) and you really should spend your time at home with your foot elevated.
We've all seen that some management companies get their group members on stage even if they're ready to keel over and only seem contrite if someone DOES keel over. If Hwayoung thought she couldn't walk even though the doctor said no break, then that's something only she would know. From that point, the choreography had to be changed no matter what. If the combined staff and group members decided to hold that against Hwayoung and start the rumor that she wasn't actually that injured? Well, that's an excellent start to one heck of a grudge.
Do I know that Hwayoung really couldn't perform? Nope. But unless the staff were moonlighting as doctors, I'm pretty sure all they know is what the management group told them - and it was in the management group's interests to keep her onstage.
nmm -> Elenora
But they did go to doctors in 2 different countries who said the same thing tho. So it's not the staff's saying she didn't need the cast but the doctors did. But it's another case if you think the staff or the doctor was lying
Elenora -> nmm
I don't think anyone's lying. I think the doctors saw a ligament injury that has no real "fix" - it's important to elevate it and stay off it, but there's no direct benefit of a cast's structure. And I don't think the staff are lying (though I think they're extremely biased).
My best guess is that Korean companies tend to work their groups to exhaustion, and may have assumed that because there was no cast or injury visible on x-ray, she was good to go. But she knew very well that she wasn't good to go and that trying to use that ankle would injure it further, so a doctor told her a cast wouldn't do any harm and that's why she wore it. She probably also wore it in public to explain why she wasn't performing, given how closely kpop fans follow this stuff - I can imagine what would've come her way if she was seen limping through an airport and then not performing.
I think it's a toxic mix: a girl who genuinely got injured too badly to perform but not badly enough for it to be a break, a couple of doctors who all saw the same thing, another doctor who agreed that a visual shorthand for the injury would be a good idea, a management company who had motive for meeting appearance commitments, and then a really gross swirl of bitchy backbiting between the management, staff and group members regarding the girl who wasn't there. I don't think there's any one person responsible, though I'd look more closely at the management company than anyone else.
Elenora -> nmm
I don't think anyone was lying. I think the same diagnosis can get different opinions, based on the people in the room and the context provided. For example, when I had leg surgery my doctor told me that I could go back to work in two weeks. But then I explained that my job is one with lots of international travel and standing, and she instantly changed her recommendation and told me I'd be out for 6 weeks. The thing that changed is that she'd thought I'd drive to a suburban office and sit at a desk 8 hours a day with my foot on a stool, when in fact even on non-travel days I'm walking about 3 miles through cities. Totally different recommendation, same injury.
If Hwayoung went to a doctor with the management company, they may have presented a much less realistic story than reality - management is known to do that. In contrast, when she went with her father it's possible that she described her busiest possible day on the job (which, given the Japan travel, sounds likely). That would easily result in different doctors giving different recommendations.
Daisy Fung -> Elenora
First doctor says she doesn't need a cast. Second doctor says she needed one. Third doctor says the same thing as the first. The second doctor visit was accompanied by her father while the first and last one wasn't.
Elenora -> Daisy Fung
Ankle injuries are tricky. Casts are a visible signal that the person is hurt, but if the ankle is injured in a way where there's really nothing to be done and no benefit to the cast's structure, then a doctor will typically skip it. That doesn't mean the ankle is undamaged. I don't think you're taking into account the demands the management company may have had, or the concerns her father may have had. Many bosses ask their people to "play hurt", as in "continue to work through an injury". A cast would send a visual message that the person is not available for activities that would aggravate the injury.
Elenora -> Daisy Fung
Doctors have differing opinions, and a doctor's visit with a management company who are very vested in getting her back onstage might come away with different recommendations than one with her father who was mostly focused on her wellbeing.
120512 티아라(T-ARA) Lovey Dovey @ Dream Concert - YouTube
There's no way she would have wanted to miss out on a big event like that. At the concerts she performed just one song, Day by Day, sitting on a chair. It is said that the rehearsal should have taken about two hours, but because of the changes to the choreography and lighting forced by her not taking part in the dances it took eight hours. The Budokan concerts, on 25 and 26 July 2012 were the end of a Japanese tour which started in June, so virtually all the work had been done already. Long rehearsal sessions are normal when preparing for concerts, but by that time they all knew exactly what they were doing and would only need to adjust to the different stage where they would be performing, so if Hwayoung faked the injury because she was lazy, what was the work that she was trying to avoid? It's just not credible that she would do all the hard work to prepare and then decide to drop out just before the climax of the tour.
On 23 July 2012, after T-ara performed at the Ulsan Music Core Special, Hwayoung twisted her ankle, then they travelled back to Seoul, arriving at 3am. The members had about three hours of sleep before flying to Japan, and Hwayoung must have had less than the others that night because she went to the hospital seeking treatment. She was keen to obtain a cast or brace for her leg, but why did she want that? Most people seem to assume that it was because she wanted to appear more injured than she really was, but it's more likely that she just wanted something that would give the ankle enough support to enable her to perform at the Budokan, which would be two days after the injury occurred. She may have thought that might give her time to recover enough for the first of the concerts, but, looking at the available evidence, my guess is that she had a Grade 2 sprain:
"moderate to severe pain with severe difficulty on walking. Minor bruising and swelling may present immediately but can take several hours (up to 48) to develop. The ankle will feel very stiff but may also feel unstable resulting from a number of torn ligament fibres. Recovery time is between 4 and 8 weeks."
Sprained Ankle - Treatment, Rehabilitation & Exercises
If that is right, then the truth is that with the injury she had, there was never any possibility of her being able to perform on her feet so soon. After arriving in Japan she went to another hospital. She already had the brace, but must have felt that it was not sufficient, so she was looking for extra treatment. “Just like what the hospitals in Korea said, the hospital in Japan also said a leg cast was unnecessary. It would heal naturally, but it did need extra attention.”
A Chronological Timeline and Conclusion of the T-ara Scandal, Dispatch’s interview with T-ara’s staff | Diadem
I have seen many comments claiming that the doctors told her there was nothing wrong, but what they said is that the ankle did not need a cast, which is not normally used for sprains. The proper treatment for Hwayoung's injury is PRICE. “The best ankle sprain treatment to start with is PRICE: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. This aims to reduce the bleeding, swelling and pain around the injured ligament which helps to speed up healing.”
Ankle Sprain Treatment, Recovery & Prevention - Foot Pain Explored
So the hospital would have advised that she needed to rest the ankle and definitely not dance on it. That immediately wipes out virtually all of her performance, as she had very little solo singing and a few raps that could be done by other members. Some have argued that if she was not fit to dance, she should have sat at the side and sung, but would anyone really notice the absence of Hwayoung's voice? Probably the only part when the others could not easily cover for her vocally was the rap segments of Day By Day, and she was on stage for that.
Another thing that often I see is people telling us how Eunjung and Jiyeon performed with injuries. When Eunjung had an ankle injury T-ara were promoting Lovey Dovey, and they were promoting Number 9 when Jiyeon was suffering from synovitis in her knee. They really shouldn't have been performing with those problems, but it's one thing to limp around on a bad leg for a few minutes and quite another to do it for an entire two-hour concert, and it's worth noting that Eunjung made her injury worse and was absent from the later performances.
Because Hwayoung was not going to be dancing at the concert, the choreography had to be adjusted, and the rehearsal is said to have gone on for eight hours. She should have gone to the rehearsal to contribute whatever she could and to help maintain morale, but the other members should have supported her when she had an injury that put her out of action, rather than making their own amateur diagnosis and ganging up on the girl who was missing the chance to perform at the big event. By the time she left may well have been very tired and distressed both physically and mentally, and if the other members were already accusing Hwayoung of exaggerating her injury on the flight, as seems likely, then it's not surprising that she wanted to stay away from them. The idea that she missed the rehearsal to get her nails done is ridiculous and false. That was just something that she thought of because she wasn't going to be doing much else, and there is some doubt about whether she had her nails done that day.
The following is a reply I wrote to someone who claimed that Hwayoung was not faking the injury at first, but the next day she was fine and just didn't want to do the concerts.
If Hwayoung was not faking the injury at first she was not faking it over the next few days either because sprained ankles take a long time to heal. Sprains are classified as Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3.
Grade 1 – Stretched ligaments, some pain, some stiffness, some difficulty walking or running. Recovery time 2 to 4 weeks.
Grade 2 – Torn ligaments, moderate to severe pain with severe difficulty walking. Minor bruising and swelling which may take as long as two days to develop, so it may not look bad at first. The ankle will feel very stiff and may feel unstable. Recovery time 4 to 8 weeks.
Grade 3 – Severe tears or complete ruptures of ligaments. Severe pain immediately and the ankle may feel very unstable and weak. Swelling usually develops immediately and bruising often develops over the next two days. X-ray often required to ensure no bones are broken. Recovery time up to three months.
Sprained Ankle - Treatment, Rehabilitation & Exercises
Some claim that Hwayoung's x-ray showed there was nothing wrong, but the ligaments are not visible on an x-ray, so it cannot do that, and that fact that an x-ray was done suggests that the injury was quite bad. Sportsinjuryclinic tells us that an x-ray is often required with a Grade 3 sprain, but does not mention it for Grade 1 or Grade 2. For a Grade 1 the x-ray would be probably be considered unnecessary, for a Grade 2 it might be done just to make sure. Hwayoung's injury does not appear to have been as bad as a Grade 3, so the x-ray may have been requested by the patient or by the company, who were keen for her to perform at the concerts, but presumably not if she had broken bones. The mistake was thinking that because the bones were not broken there was nothing seriously wrong.
I think Hwayoung's injury was probably a Grade 2 sprain, not just because of the x-rays, but because it fits her behaviour; walking a bit, perhaps to try it out and see what she could do, then deciding that she needed assistance. If I am right it is likely she would be back to normal some time in late August or September, and there was never any possibility of her being fit for those concerts.
23 July – Injury
24 July – Rehearsal
25 July – First concert
26 July – Second concert
27 July – Music Bank
Elenora wrote some very good comments on Soompi about how a misunderstanding could happen. They are among best contributions to the Hwayoung debate that I have seen.
Elenora -> Sorbet Mei
I am deeply skeptical about the staff opinion regarding the ankle injury. There's a misconception that you either break your ankle or don't - the truth is you can really screw up the ligaments and tendons and it hurts like the devil and frequently doesn't repair because there's nothing that can be done. You can't see that damage on an x-ray, you need an MRI. Most of the time they won't give you a cast but walking is very difficult (if possible at all) and you really should spend your time at home with your foot elevated.
We've all seen that some management companies get their group members on stage even if they're ready to keel over and only seem contrite if someone DOES keel over. If Hwayoung thought she couldn't walk even though the doctor said no break, then that's something only she would know. From that point, the choreography had to be changed no matter what. If the combined staff and group members decided to hold that against Hwayoung and start the rumor that she wasn't actually that injured? Well, that's an excellent start to one heck of a grudge.
Do I know that Hwayoung really couldn't perform? Nope. But unless the staff were moonlighting as doctors, I'm pretty sure all they know is what the management group told them - and it was in the management group's interests to keep her onstage.
nmm -> Elenora
But they did go to doctors in 2 different countries who said the same thing tho. So it's not the staff's saying she didn't need the cast but the doctors did. But it's another case if you think the staff or the doctor was lying
Elenora -> nmm
I don't think anyone's lying. I think the doctors saw a ligament injury that has no real "fix" - it's important to elevate it and stay off it, but there's no direct benefit of a cast's structure. And I don't think the staff are lying (though I think they're extremely biased).
My best guess is that Korean companies tend to work their groups to exhaustion, and may have assumed that because there was no cast or injury visible on x-ray, she was good to go. But she knew very well that she wasn't good to go and that trying to use that ankle would injure it further, so a doctor told her a cast wouldn't do any harm and that's why she wore it. She probably also wore it in public to explain why she wasn't performing, given how closely kpop fans follow this stuff - I can imagine what would've come her way if she was seen limping through an airport and then not performing.
I think it's a toxic mix: a girl who genuinely got injured too badly to perform but not badly enough for it to be a break, a couple of doctors who all saw the same thing, another doctor who agreed that a visual shorthand for the injury would be a good idea, a management company who had motive for meeting appearance commitments, and then a really gross swirl of bitchy backbiting between the management, staff and group members regarding the girl who wasn't there. I don't think there's any one person responsible, though I'd look more closely at the management company than anyone else.
Elenora -> nmm
I don't think anyone was lying. I think the same diagnosis can get different opinions, based on the people in the room and the context provided. For example, when I had leg surgery my doctor told me that I could go back to work in two weeks. But then I explained that my job is one with lots of international travel and standing, and she instantly changed her recommendation and told me I'd be out for 6 weeks. The thing that changed is that she'd thought I'd drive to a suburban office and sit at a desk 8 hours a day with my foot on a stool, when in fact even on non-travel days I'm walking about 3 miles through cities. Totally different recommendation, same injury.
If Hwayoung went to a doctor with the management company, they may have presented a much less realistic story than reality - management is known to do that. In contrast, when she went with her father it's possible that she described her busiest possible day on the job (which, given the Japan travel, sounds likely). That would easily result in different doctors giving different recommendations.
Daisy Fung -> Elenora
First doctor says she doesn't need a cast. Second doctor says she needed one. Third doctor says the same thing as the first. The second doctor visit was accompanied by her father while the first and last one wasn't.
Elenora -> Daisy Fung
Ankle injuries are tricky. Casts are a visible signal that the person is hurt, but if the ankle is injured in a way where there's really nothing to be done and no benefit to the cast's structure, then a doctor will typically skip it. That doesn't mean the ankle is undamaged. I don't think you're taking into account the demands the management company may have had, or the concerns her father may have had. Many bosses ask their people to "play hurt", as in "continue to work through an injury". A cast would send a visual message that the person is not available for activities that would aggravate the injury.
Elenora -> Daisy Fung
Doctors have differing opinions, and a doctor's visit with a management company who are very vested in getting her back onstage might come away with different recommendations than one with her father who was mostly focused on her wellbeing.
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