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| Kwon Mina, a former AOA member, apologized through her social media. Courtesy of Woori Actors |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Kwon Mina, a former member of girl group AOA, has apologized for stirring a bullying scandal involving the group and its agency FNC Entertainment, three days after an attempted suicide.
The singer-actress shared a statement on her social media Tuesday, saying: "I'm sorry to let down the people who worried about me and supported me." She also apologized for surprising people with a picture of her injured wrist.
Kwon said she talked with the agency's head Han Sung-ho. "After hearing him, I could feel his sincerity," she said. "I regret that things ended up this far."
Expressing how much love she had toward FNC and AOA, she explained: "I was so sad and devastated to quit AOA due to this problem," indicating the conflict with its former leader Shin Ji-min.
She also vowed to receive treatment, so "such a thing won't happen again."
The apology came following her hospitalization after harming herself. She had posted a picture of her stitched wrist, along with a statement saying: "I want to go to a place where I can be happy ― I am feeling so much pain here."
She specifically condemned Shin for bullying her, and the CEO and group member Kim Seol-hyun for turning a blind eye.
"Words can't describe how filthy Shin Ji-min, Han Sung-ho and Kim Seol-hyun are," she said. "They have driven one normal person to death."
The group's bullying scandal erupted in July when Kwon claimed Shin had bullied her for years.
The agency released a statement the next day, saying Shin was leaving the group and that it took "full responsibility for the incident."
Kwon has now deleted her social media account.
The singer-actress debuted as a member of the then octet in 2012. She quit the act in May 2019 and inked a management deal with Woori Actors to pursue acting.
