Soojin leaves (G)I-DLE following school bullying allegations

Soojin of girl group (G)I-DLE [CUBE ENTERTAINMENT]

Soojin of (G)I-DLE, who has been embroiled in a school bullying scandal since February, left the girl group on Saturday according to her management Cube Entertainment.

“Our agency decided that Soojin will leave the team as of today,” said a statement by Cube Entertainment on Saturday. “(G)I-DLE will continue its activities with [the remaining] five members.”

The singer has been under fire since February when several netizens accused her of bullying her schoolmates in middle school, ranging from physical to verbal abuse. Soojin initially denied the allegations but as more accusers came forward, including actor Seo Shin-ae who attended the same school as the singer, Soojin suspended all her activities and has been keeping a low profile since March.

Soojin debuted in 2018 with the song “Latata” as a member (G)I-DLE.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]