Kim Hyun-jae of JTBC’s 'Peak Time' leaves show amid bullying allegation

A shot from JTBS's audition show ″Peak Time″ [JTBC]

Kim Hyun-jae, a contestant on JTBC’s audition program “Peak Time” will leave the show following allegations of bullying, announced the broadcasting company on Monday.

“The producer of the show paid close attention [to the allegations] after conflicting claims by both parties, to make sure there won’t be any innocent victims,” the statement reads.

“We have decided today [Monday] to have Kim Hyun-jae resign from the show, as the matter is not something that can be concluded in a short amount of time.”

“We urge support for all the contestants taking on the challenges on the show and the producers of the shows will do our very best,” the statement reads.

Last Thursday, the producers of the show issued a statement saying they were conducting a “careful investigation” regarding the bullying allegations against Kim which surfaced on March 6.

The post exposing Kim’s school bullying, uploaded on a popular online community, claimed that he “gaslighted” the victim for an extended period and that they experienced anxiety and nausea from seeing Kim appear on television.

The producers of “Peak Time” clarified that the production team in no way condones school bullying or violence in its previous statement released last Thursday.

A total of 23 teams compete on “Peak Time” for the top prize of 300 million won ($230,000), a full-length album and a chance to tour the world. The show boasts an all-star cast of judges: Jay Park, Tiffany Young of Girls’ Generation, Kyuhyun of Super Junior, Mino of Winner, Lee Gi-kwang of Highlight, Kim Sung-kyu of Infinite, Shim Jae-won from SM Entertainment and producer Ryan Jhun. Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi hosts the show.

“Peak Time” premiered on Feb. 15 and airs every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. on JTBC.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]