Is the cut-throat world of Kpop pushing people too far? Now, Wanna One’s Yoon Ji-sung has been accused of bullying a trainee to the point of near-suicide.
It’s the sort of situation that could have gone horribly wrong. But a cut-throat Kpop training ground almost claimed the life of a trainee, thanks to ‘extreme bullying’.
Enter Wanna One’s Yoon Ji-sung, who has been accused to bullying trainee Jung Joong Ji to the point of near-suicide. According to Allkpop, the intense bullying started during the filming of ‘Produce 101’ season 2. That’s where Wanna One was created, with extreme mental battles among would-be group contestants.
Sounds like some great Kpop bloodsport, and Ji-sung apparently played hard. Fair or not, he has not been accused of aggressive behavior that utterly destabilized a Joong Ji.
+ allkpop: Jung Joong Ji posts suicidal message about how he was bullied by Yoon Ji Sung during ‘Produce 101’
Word of the alleged abuse ultimately leaked online, prompting heavy blowback from fans. That storm actually turned against Jung Joong Ji for posting a ‘happy selfie’ with Jisung, despite the obvious issues. Others may have been wondering why Ji was even competing in such a difficult battle.
On Thursday (November 2nd), Jun Joong Ji posted a lengthy response detailing the incidents.
And, clarified why he uploaded a happy selfie of the pair.
“You asked for feedback. I wasn’t going to but here it is. There was a time we ate together for the first time during ‘Produce 101 season 2’. There, Yoon Ji Sung hyung suddenly called me over and said, ‘You have a lot of followers on Facebook. You should make money with that. Why the hell are you here?’ So I replied, ‘I’m sorry, hyung.’
After that, he kept bothering me about 10 times so I told him that he’s really making it hard for me and to stop bullying me. He smiled and said ‘okay’, and then told me three trainees in his agency had left because of him. Then on the day when we had the level test, I only slept for an hour due to ongoing practice and messed up almost entirely during the actual test so I was sitting down with a frown on my face, and he came over and teasingly said, ‘You just did your worth.’
I was so startled and in disbelief (at his rudeness) so I talked back to him. But after some time, we made up and that’s why I uploaded the photo (selca)”.
Jun also denied allegations of talking behind Ji-sung’s back. Instead, he stated that he was merely answering questions posed to him by fans.
Irregardless, fans have accused Jung Joong Ji of fabricated the serious accusations.
Ji also replied to those charges, while exposing suicidal thoughts and extreme stress.
“No matter what anyone says, I am not lying. No matter who believes me or not, I just wrote the truth with a hand over my heart. And no matter who criticizes me or not, I’m not afraid because I wrote this truthfully. A lot of words will be circulating due to this but people keep telling me to stop lying and that’s making me feel suicidal so I’m leaving this long message”.
“Also, stop sending me direct messages. I’m a human, too. Stop tormenting me.”
The festering issue offers another glimpse into the cut-throat nature of Kpop.
Indeed, successful groups are often forced into extremely brutal schedules, including touring, recording, and publicity events. Add intense requirements for plastic surgery and other demands, and onlookers are wondering if Kpop’s growth is ultimately healthy.
Then again, ‘Produce 101’ sounds utterly tame compared to American reality TV. And hey — as they say stateside, ‘welcome to the NFL’.
More as this develops.
Blonde Koreans are a fail to begin with. That they are insane egomaniacs is not surprising. They must secretly know everything about them is truly garbage, from their music to their image. I’m very glad to see that people in other countries can generate modern culture as sick as the USA and UK.
im not a wanna one fan. YOU are a salty kpop anti who’s mad about the international breakthrough of this muic genre. by the way blonde koreans are hot af. also, dont believe anything this idiot who writes the articles says. he has previously published articles severely twisting the truth, and saying he has an “expert” when its probably just his friend (if he has one). saying bts are overdosing on plastic surgery when theyre one of the cleanest groups? wtf
Well if blonde Koreans are a fail … look at Lai Kuan Lin’s blonde hair . I mean , he lived in LA after all so …
He’s not Korean
Okay, first of all, just because their hair is blonde doesn’t really mean anything..? Isn’t it just a hair color? Americans dye their hair colors like pink and blonde as well. Why don’t you criticize them about that? And to some, their music brings light to their life. Those artists, they train extremely hard… just to debut! I’m not saying you have to, but could you please respect kpop artists more? They work so hard just to get where they are, only to deal with unnecessary hate.
Why do you criticize them?
You criticize Koreans for dying their hair blonde and and yet everyone around the world does it so why don’t you criticize other people for that too. Also how is their music trash? Their music is the same as ours except a different language.
This article title is sensationalist nonsense. First of all, the guy accusing him is barely credible — already known for lying in the past. Second “Nearly Killing a Trainee” ?????? Even if we presume his every word is both true and not exaggerated, biased or twisting real events, that statement was NEVER said. He only claims that harassment by people who believe he is lying and is two-faced (saying bad things about jisung behind his back, whole publicly posting photos with him) makes him feel suicidal. He NEVER accuses jisung of such things, and suggesting he does in the headline is irresponsible at best, and outright lies at worst.