MUSIC
Former Jannabi Member Yoo Young-hyun Forgiven by School Bullying Victim
On the 15th, Jannabi shared a heartfelt message on their official fan cafe, stating, "We promised to speak candidly about this matter someday. It has been an inseparable part of Jannabi for a long time, and we felt it was important to inform our fans who have been with us through this journey. Now seems to be the right time to address it, so we have decided to write this message."
Jannabi recounted the events of May 2019 when allegations of Yoo Young-hyun's involvement in school bullying surfaced online. They explained, "We immediately asked Young-hyun about the truth of the claims, and he denied the incidents. However, he acknowledged that there was a collective bullying issue in the class, and he felt responsible. In such a situation, we believed it was not right to publicly debate the matter through the media, and Young-hyun chose to leave the team to avoid causing harm."
The band continued, "We carefully sought out a mutual friend to mediate over a long period, spending time together to convey our sincere feelings. Eventually, we were able to send a letter expressing our heartfelt sentiments to the author of the original post. Although not directly involved, I shared my feelings and stories from that time."
Jannabi also shared a letter from the victim, who expressed, "Back then, I felt like everyone in the class was mocking me and ignoring my pain, making them all bystanders and accomplices. Among them, a member who became famous as part of Jannabi stood out, and I could only express my wounds through that name."
The victim continued, "A lot of time has passed since that post, and what seemed like an unforgivable and unforgettable wound has slowly been confronted through my healing process. During this time, I received an apology message from my former teacher, and Young-hyun consistently reached out to me, trying to convey his sincere feelings. I felt his sincerity and learned that he deeply accepted his role as a bystander and reflected on it for a long time. He even approached those who bullied me the most and brought handwritten apologies and letters from them."
The victim added, "Young-hyun asked my acquaintance to deliver those apologies and letters, expressing his desire to alleviate my pain. Hearing those words and reading the letters brought tears to my eyes, not from resentment or anger, but because it felt like a long-held burden was being lifted. His actions and sincerity helped untie a knot I couldn't unravel myself. For the first time, I felt I could let go of that period."
In conclusion, the victim stated, "His sincerity felt like more than just an apology; it was an act of courage and responsibility. Thanks to his efforts, I could step out of the darkness I had held onto for so long. I am grateful to the Jannabi members who shared this responsibility and supported me. Now, I can move on to the next chapter of my life, and I genuinely wish for good things to come to him and the Jannabi members."
Jannabi was formed in 2011 by childhood friends Choi Jung-hyun, Kim Do-hyung, and Yoo Young-hyun. In 2015, they expanded to a five-member band with the addition of Jang Kyung-joon and Yoon Kyul. Yoon Kyul later left the band after receiving a suspended indictment for assaulting a woman, and Jang Kyung-joon paused his activities after getting married. Yoo Young-hyun departed the band in 2019 following the school bullying controversy.
Full Statement from Jannabi
We have a story we want to share with everyone. It's about an event from November 2024. At that time, I promised to speak candidly about it someday. I wanted to keep that promise. I have thought and worked hard on this. It has been an inseparable part of Jannabi for a long time, and we felt it was important to inform our fans who have been with us through this journey. Now seems to be the right time to address it, so we have decided to write this message.
Recently, we received a message from the author of the post that was published on Nate Pann on May 23, 2019, through a mutual friend. The message included comments about the Jannabi members and was written with the intention of being shared, so we received it with caution. We thought we could finally explain the events of the past and the incident from last November through this message.
On the day the post was published, we immediately asked Young-hyun about the truth of the claims, and he denied the incidents. However, he acknowledged that there was a collective bullying issue in the class, and he felt responsible. In such a situation, we believed it was not right to publicly debate the matter through the media, and Young-hyun chose to leave the team to avoid causing harm.
Afterward, many things calmed down, but Young-hyun was in pain for a long time, and it seemed he might live the rest of his life in despair. As a friend, seeing him like that made me realize we couldn't end things here. I believed there was a path for everyone, and if we could communicate sincerely while taking responsibility, we could eventually receive forgiveness and move forward. I believed that was the way for Jannabi, Young-hyun, and the author to face their new futures.
So, we carefully sought out a mutual friend to mediate over a long period, spending time together to convey our sincere feelings. Eventually, we were able to send a letter expressing our heartfelt sentiments to the author of the original post. Although not directly involved, I shared my feelings and stories from that time. We wanted to show our sincerity, even if it took more time. We believed that the severity of the wrongdoing was in the heart of the victim, and it should be that way. Therefore, we couldn't rush the process.
The event from November 2024 happened during this process. We observed the process of apology and forgiveness closely and made decisions with an understanding of the situation. We believed that taking any action could help improve Young-hyun's deteriorating state. Although it wasn't a situation we could immediately explain to everyone, our hearts were ahead of us, even though we knew the order.
The words from our fans on that day have stayed with me painfully for over a year. It became an opportunity for self-reflection and a realization of reality. I will live with the apologies and gratitude I felt that day in my heart. I am sorry once again.
I hope this message can bring some relief to our fans who have stood by Jannabi and endured so much with us. I also apologize to the fans who may have been uncomfortable with this message being posted amidst the warm atmosphere following our year-end concert. I wanted to share these important matters, so I wrote this long message without shame. Thank you for reading.
Below is the full message from the author, which they sent to be shared here. I sincerely hope that with the release of this message, Young-hyun, Jannabi, and the author can all start new lives in their respective places.
Full Letter from the Victim
A lot of time has passed. Due to the events of that time, I have lived with emotional scars for a long time. To some, it may have been 'childhood pranks,' but to me, it was a significant pain that changed the direction of my life. It took a lot of courage to bring up those wounds, and I honestly expressed my feelings in writing. At that time, I didn't want to simply divide everything into 'perpetrator' and 'victim.' Back then, I felt like everyone in the class was mocking me and ignoring my pain, making them all bystanders and accomplices. Among them, a member who became famous as part of Jannabi stood out, and I could only express my wounds through that name. A lot of time has passed since that post, and what seemed like an unforgivable and unforgettable wound has slowly been confronted through my healing process. During this time, I received an apology message from my former teacher, and Young-hyun consistently reached out to me, trying to convey his sincere feelings. I felt his sincerity and learned that he deeply accepted his role as a bystander and reflected on it for a long time. He even approached those who bullied me the most and brought handwritten apologies and letters from them. In fact, those friends were the ones who made my life the hardest and made me feel weak. Young-hyun asked my acquaintance to deliver those apologies and letters, expressing his desire to alleviate my pain. Hearing those words and reading the letters brought tears to my eyes, not from resentment or anger, but because it felt like a long-held burden was being lifted. His actions and sincerity helped untie a knot I couldn't unravel myself. For the first time, I felt I could let go of that period. Now I know. He was immature at that time, and since then, he has reflected on himself for a long time, deeply considering the meaning of the words 'bystander and accomplice' that I mentioned. The sincerity he showed me felt like more than just an apology; it was an act of courage and responsibility. Now, I am deeply grateful. Thanks to his efforts, I could step out of the darkness I had held onto for so long. I am grateful to the Jannabi members who shared this responsibility and supported me. And I am also thankful to 00, who always prioritized my wounds. I understand the situation of being everyone's friend. I won't forget that heart, and I'm sorry. Now I can move on to the next chapter of my life. And I sincerely hope for good things to come to him and the Jannabi members. I hope their music can comfort someone, as it did for me, and reach out warmly to others with similar pain. I want to live like that in my place. Although a lot of time has passed, writing this again feels like a way to help someone once and for all, and it seems like the way to completely let go of the past. Now, I'm really okay. I feel like I can genuinely say that now, so I'm leaving this message.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia Reporter one@tenasia.co.kr
