On May 17th, the members of KARA guested on SBS’s “Strong Heart” and finally spoke out about their lawsuit controversy for the first time since they reached a compromise last month.
Hara began, “I was hesitant about coming out here and saying this, but I think people aren’t yet aware that we’ve returned as one group. Through this opportunity (Strong Heart), we’d like to show our fans that we’re okay. While working in Japan, our Korean activities began to decline and we were all sensitive because of that. It was hard to adjust, and through time, misunderstandings came about that were eventually exaggerated by fans and media into what just happened.”
She continued, “While singing a ballad as five members for the last time in Japan, we all cried. For that moment, I felt that all five of us were of the same feelings. The media exaggerated so much of what had actually happened. Even after reports went out, we were still in contact with each other. Because there were so many severe speculations, it actually made us feel uncomfortable with each other.”
Baek Ji Young also gave a message of support towards KARA by stating, “I’ve observed KARA’s controversy with interest, and felt pained when I saw a picture of the girls walking by with their heads down. Why should they be the one with their heads down? They’re already hurting because of the mistakes of others, why should they be the one that has to look like that for the public?”
She added, “There may be more obstacles coming their way, but I hope that they learn through this ordeal how to protect themselves and love each other.”
Seungyeon stated, “A lot has happened that has gone out of hand, and it’s true that with five girls, there are times where we bicker, but through this entire ordeal, we’ve learned how precious all five of us are. When we were singing a ballad for our final stage, we realized that no mater how noisy the world is, there are still fans who love us. We’re all great towards each other now and are even raising dogs together.”
She continued, “When you view something with bias, it’s inevitable that you’ll only see the bad sides of it and ignore everything else. We’re all apologetic over wounding so many people, so I hope that people will continue to watch us grow in the future.”
Maknae Jiyoung commented, “It was overwhelming for me to endure at my age, but the unnis consoled me a lot. Gyuri unni put me at ease and Seungyeon unni gave me strength. Nicole and Hara unni both gave me a lot of good advice.”
As a message to their fans, Nicole added, “We promise to think preciously of one another and promote.”
Leader Gyuri concluded, “I think it’s only right for us to repay everyone with images of us promoting happily. I’m glad that all five of us have come together and promise to work hard to improve.”
