Former LE SSERAFIM member Kim Garam thanked her fans for organizing a birthday billboard for her in Gangnam.
The former idol celebrated her birthday on November 16 and her fans organized a birthday project to honor her special day, which was acknowledged by Garam herself via her friend’s Instagram account.
“Thx,” the 17-year-old wrote, sharing a photo of herself wearing a gray beanie watching her own billboard ad with a white heart to complete the caption.
Several netizens were overjoyed to learn that Garam acknowledged the birthday billboard organized by her devoted fans.
K-pop fans react to Kim Garam’s birthday billboard in Gangnam
K-pop fans took to social media to react to Garam’s fans organizing a birthday billboard for her in Gangnam.
The former LE SSERAFIM member left the girl group after a major bullying scandal rocked her life, causing HYBE and Source Music to terminate her exclusive contract.
Almost a month after her contract termination, Kim Garam took to her friend’s social media to detail her side of the story, pleading innocence and thanking fans for supporting her and showering love on her.
The former LE SSERAFIM member has since maintained silence, keeping away from the public eye. Hence, K-pop fans are surprised that fans have gone out of their way to organize a birthday billboard for her in Gangnam.
Fans loved that for the former idol's 17th birthday, a video billboard was created and shared in one of the busiest and liveliest areas of Seoul - Gangnam. They were also happy that she has fans who love and support her despite her not being an idol or a member of LE SSERAFIM anymore.
K-pop stanners aren’t sure if the former idol is innocent or not, but that hasn’t stopped the former idol’s fans from making her feel special on her birthday, almost four months after she was made to leave LE SSERAFIM.
The Fearless singer's fans continue to believe that the former idol is innocent and that HYBE and Source Music, her former agencies, were unfair to her and didn’t investigate the bullying scandal case thoroughly, removing the young idol from the group without giving her a proper chance to explain herself.
Fans are hoping that her birthday project gives her a sense of hope that the former LE SSERAFIM member can nurture dreams of joining the Korean entertainment industry again.
Former idol Kim Garam’s bullying scandal explained in brief
One of the most promising Gen 4 idols, Kim Garam debuted as an artist for the popular girl group LE SSERAFIM, produced by HYBE and Source Music, on May 2, 2022.
However, even before her debut, the idol was accused of school bullying by an anonymous netizen online. HYBE released a statement denying the school bullying accusations.
As the public discourse around the former idol spread further, HYBE announced that the idol is going on an indefinite hiatus.
As the accusations grew further, the giant music label continued negotiating with the victim’s lawyers to come to a truce.
While Korean fans were angry and demanded that the Fearless singer be removed from the group, HYBE maintained their silence on the matter.
In July 2022, they and Source Music officially announced that Kim Garam had been removed from the group and that they had terminated her exclusive contract.
A month after her contract was terminated, the former LESSERAFIM member pleaded innocence in a new personal statement, revealing her side of the story and expressing gratitude to fans who supported her through this.