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On Thursday, July 17, a netizen under the X username, @kimgunwoo764, released an exposé about the Boys 2 Planet's Korean centre, Kim Geon-woo. Netizens discussed how the trainee was formerly under B Entertainment two years ago. During the same time, he was accused of allegedly engaging in activities such as bullying and embezzlement.
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The trainee, Kim Geon-woo, reportedly resembled a school bully to the other trainees of the company, such as scolding them if he wasn't greeted, controlling the dance studio, forcing trainees to practice for hours without proper air conditioning, and many more. The netizen also expressed that he was involved in acts of embezzlement by gaining favoritism from the company.
Since Kim Geon-woo was referred to as "The King of B Entertainment", the trainee reportedly always received high scores during the monthly evaluations and was also funded for international trips with the director and the team leader of B Entertainment. This also allegedly led to the low ranking and fewer opportunities for the other trainees who were housed under the same company.
The netizen continued to add that due to Kim Geon-woo's bullying, many other trainees not only lost their dreams to become a K-pop idol, but their mental health was affected to the point where they had to seek professional help. The netizen added that they, who were also a former trainee of B Entertainment, are also currently seeking help after the experience.
The exposé explained that their intention was not to bring down Kim Geon-woo amid the airing of Boys 2 Planet, but wanted to let people know about the trainee's past due to the attention he recently garnered as the centre of Planet K. They wanted people to know the whole story before they choose to support the trainee who might affect the other contestants or the resultant group of the show.
Here are a few internet reactions to the recent allegations raised against Boys 2 Planet's Kim Geon-woo:
"First time seeing him. he’s talented and looks great too. Didn’t know he was caught up in a bullying scandal. Such a shame," said a netizen.
"going from hanbin to this…the bar was set too high," commented another netizen.
"mind you this is the first major thing ive heard about bp2," added an X user.
More fans were concerned about the progression of Boys 2 Planet following the release of these allegations.
"if mnet dont make him leave the show hes basically guaranteed to debut being the centre and all…" stated another X user.
"k group center is a bully. that’s so embarrassing," added a netizen.
"I think if he debuted and this issue occur during their debut days it's would be very unfair to the other members they will be affected.... they need to solve this issue," commented an X user.
Mnet responds to the recent exposé on Boys 2 Planet's Korean center, Kim Geon-woo
Following the release of the exposé, another netizen, who claimed to be a friend and fellow trainee at B Entertainment at the time the issue occurred, also supported the netizen's statement. They added that they, too, had experienced these things, and several other trainees had also reported similar instances, as written in the exposé.
As these allegations continue to spread over the internet, Mnet's production team soon released a statement expressing that they've taken notice of the allegations that were raised against the trainee and they are in the process of verifying the facts to come to a decision. Here's what the statement read:
"BOYS II PLANET' acknowledges the seriousness of the allegations raised. We are currently conducting a thorough verification of the facts related to the claims made on social media."
The statement continued:
"We are gathering information not only from the individual referenced in the posts but also from former employees of B Entertainment, where the trainee was formerly affiliated, as well as other relevant parties. Separately, we are carefully examining whether the issue entails any legal ramifications.”
On the other hand, Boys 2 Planet is expected to premiere on July 17 for Planet K and July 18 for Planet C, respectively.
