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iKON's Bobby, aka Kim Ji-won, has finally opened up about his mixed feelings towards former group member, B.I. (Kim Han-bin). On September 11, 2023, Bobby took to social media and shared a post where he interacted with his fans and broke his silence on Han-bin’s exit from the group in 2021.
In the comments of his recent Instagram post, Bobby (@bobbyindaeyo) explained how he has decided to forgive Kim Han-bin for his actions and has decided to move on from the matter once and for all.
"I feel u honestly because he is my bro. He did show and had some bad influence on the next generation, but I can't stop my love for him though. You know he knows what he did was wrong and everything, but let's not make this whole game commercial and sh*t though. I love him as much as you love him. Let's not forget he's a good dude. Let's give him a chance to make it up to you. Forgiveness is the most noble thing that a human being can do."
He then assured fans that it is crucial for everyone to move on from the drug-related incident that occurred in 2016. Furthermore, he asked his fans not to misunderstand his feelings or his statements towards Kim Han-bin by any means and to forgive him.
"Don't put in work for OT7 or OT6 and some. I'm not trying to be political or none. Just trying to let y'all know how I feel for whoever. STOP THIS WAR (sic)."
Bobby comments under his recent Instagram post to explain his thoughts on B.I.'s departure from the group, iKON
On his Instagram post dated September 11, 2023, Bobby mentioned how he was distraught due to Han-bin's exit from the group - a decision which affected him and the other members, Chanwoo, DK, Song, June, and Jay. He confessed to resenting B.I. for abandoning him and others.
"I mean, he did abandon iKON or me and Chanwoo, DK, Song, Jay, and June. But after all the hatred that I felt for him, he had made the decision because he didn't want to be a burden for iKON. I decided to forgive him and show my love for my brother again. I don't know if we can collab ever again, but I love him still."
In another comment, Bobby stated that it's time to bury the hatchet and that he and other iKON members have their fans to live for and make music for. Similarly, the Keep Me Up singer has his own space and life and all this hatred is not serving anyone. However, Bobby mentioned that he is unhappy due to the fights among their fans regarding B.I.
"Bro got his own life to live, and iKON got iKONICS [iKON's fandom] to make them happy and feel love. We do what we do. Love is the key to the whole thing."
iKON rapper Bobby apologized for the amount of work iKONIC has put into building a positive reputation for the group and described the current members as people who don't worry about what occurred in the past and just enjoy their lives together.
The actual story behind B.I.'s departure from his iKON
For those who are unaware of the situation, Kim Han-bin got himself roped into one of the biggest scandals in the South Korean entertainment industry in 2016. The artist was apprehended by the police over the illegal acquisition of drugs.
Moreover, the Yongin Police Department had confiscated a former female trainee of YG Entertainment, Han Seo Hee, on August 22, 2016, and came across her chat with B.I. Kim Han-bin had allegedly asked Han Seo Hee for drugs such as LSD and marijuana, further instructing her where to deliver the items for him.
Han Seo Hee confessed to the police about Han-bin's involvement in acquiring drugs from her. A certain drug dealer, whose name was kept confidential by the police, confirmed the same.
On August 30, 2016, Han Seo Hee rescinded her statement and alleged that B.I. did enquire about the drugs but never went through with the purchase. With no circumstantial evidence against Han-bin, the police could ask B.I. to come over to the police station for interrogation. In 2019, B.I. posted a message on Instagram admitting to his misdeeds and revealing his decision to depart from iKON.
This is Kim Hanbin. First of all, I sincerely apologize for causing trouble with my inappropriate behavior. It is true that I had previously wanted to rely on things that I should not have even had an interest in because I was having such a difficult and rough time. But I was not even able to do it because I was afraid."
He further continued:
"Nevertheless, I am extremely embarrassed and sorry to all of our fans and our members, who are deeply disappointed and hurt by my wrong words and actions. I will humbly reflect upon my wrongdoings and withdraw from the team. I sincerely bow my head in apology once again to our fans and our members. I’m sorry. (A message by Kim Han-bin)
On September 18, 2019, after 14 hours of questioning by the police, B.I. admitted to the consumption of marijuana. However, prior to this, YG Entertainment had terminated their contract with the artist on June 12 of the same year.
