Actress Ryu Hyoyoung opened up about the T-ARA bullying scandal that revolved around her twin sister, ex-T-ARA member Ryu Hwayoung.
Years earlier, Hwayoung had accused her fellow members of bullying her, leading to the scandal breaking.
Nonetheless, public opinion changed over time, and many felt that Hwayoung had exaggerated the circumstances.
Hyoyoung later issued an apology for her behavior during the turbulent time in a statement on Nov. 11.
Hello, this is actress Ryu Hyoyoung. I want to sincerely apologize for the concern I've caused many people. I'm writing to address the text message situation related to my younger sister's bullying controversy.
When we were around 20 years old, we moved from our hometown to Seoul by ourselves. We felt isolated without any adults to turn to, relying solely on each other as sisters. During that time, my sister shared painful experiences with me, describing how she was being outcasted by the T-ARA members and expressing that she was struggling and missed me. In an effort to support her, I sent messages in response to what she was going through.
Looking back, I realize that sending those messages was pretty dumb and immature. I still regret my actions. I have apologized to Areum for what I wrote, but I still feel remorse.
At the age of 20, I felt powerless. My biggest fear was that if I didn't act, my sister might make a drastic decision. I did what I thought was best to protect my beloved family member, given my limited understanding at that time. I hope others can understand this perspective as well.
Ryu Hyoyoung admitted to sending threatening messages to the younger T-ARA members on behalf of her sister, motivated by a desire to protect her sibling.
"We were around 20 years old then... I had tried to stop them from bullying my sister, resulting in my messages," Hyoyoung wrote.
"I do think that having sent the messages was rather foolish and immature of me, and still regret it to this day."
When her sister shared her experiences, Hyoyoung said she had a hard time not crying as she felt the pain that her sister had been through and said that she heard her describe feeling like an outcast and that she really wasn't happy in the group.
At the time, she said, she felt she had to care for her sister and was worried about her mental health.
"I was afraid that if I just let things be, my sister would make an extreme choice," she added. "It was the best I could do to protect my precious family member, as a young and insufficient person."
The actress later apologized to Areum, one of the T-ARA girls who was hurt by the messages, but reaffirmed her regret about the whole matter.
Joining the same company as T-ARA, Hyoyoung debuted with the girl group Five Dolls alongside her sister but later went into acting after the group disbanded.
