“T-ara Bullying Controversy” Reignited, Hahm Eun-jung Admits She Opposed CEO Kim Kwang-soo’s Retro Concept Suggestion
On the November 12 episode of SBS’s “Dolsing Fourmen”, chef Jung Ji-sun, actress Hahm Eun-jung and singer Noh Sa-yeon appeared as guests.
During the show, Hahm Eun-jung stated that if she had to choose one of the “Dolsing Fourmen” members, she would pick Im Won-hee, explaining, “He’s really great husband material.” She also mentioned Tak Jae-hoon would make a good boyfriend, and Lee Sang-min would be a great older brother.
Hahm Eun-jung shared comments she’s received from people who’ve seen her in person, “They say I’m nicer than they expected. Back in T-ara’s days, we wore heavy eyeliner and performed EDM music, so they find me more easygoing than they thought.” In response, Tak Jae-hoon, who was considered a good boyfriend prospect, started a playful skit by saying, “I am nice, right? Can’t I ask you this as your boyfriend?” Lee Sang-min then exclaimed, “(My sister) has never had a boyfriend like you.” Im Won-hee chimed in, “She said I’m her husband.” Kim Jun-ho concluded, “Someone who’s always around is like a toy, like me.”
Lee Sang-min described Hahm Eun-jung as a “Queen of Ambition” and noted “She’s become the queen of daily dramas, with ‘Suji & Uri’ reaching a 15.9% viewership rating”, asking if she felt the love from older fans. Hahm Eun-jung replied, “I’ve never experienced receiving extra side dishes at a restaurant before, but now they not only give me more food but also show concern for me. It feels different from my idol days.”
Hahm Eun-jung, who debuted in 1995, mentioned that her 30th debut anniversary is approaching. She debuted at the age of 8 through the drama “A New Generation of Adults”, which featured senior actors Ha Ji-won and Choi Kang-hee. When Lee Sang-min commented “I heard you showed your ambition by arguing with the PD to debut in a drama even as a child”, Hahm Eun-jung responded, “Actually, I wanted to be Miss Korea.” She explained, “There was a Pretty Child Competition, and beautiful children from all over the country gathered. I was into ballet, but they asked the friend next to me to do ballet.”
She continued “Of course, I had prepared too, so I said, ‘I know how to do ballet too, why are you only asking this friend?’ The PD who judged the competition noticed and contacted my mom, suggesting that I try acting because I had an unusual boldness”, sharing the story of how she debuted as a child actress.
Reflecting on her time in T-ara, Hahm Eun-jung admitted that the members weren’t fond of the retro concept. She said, “We didn’t like it. At first, we thought it looked too outdated. But our CEO came into the recording studio drunk one night and said, ‘Do you even know retro? I’m from the retro generation. This should be done with the diamond step!’”
Hahm Eun-jung added, “We ended up doing ‘Roly Poly’ reluctantly. With ‘Lovey-Dovey’, we also told him the shuffle dance trend had already ended, but the CEO insisted, ‘If you do it, you can make it popular again.’”
Meanwhile, CEO Kim Kwang-soo recently reignited the T-ara bullying controversy by mentioning it on MBN’s “Let’s Go GO Season 3”. Following the broadcast, Ryu Hwa-young stated, “It’s true that I was bullied.” However, other T-ara members and CEO Kim Kwang-soo have not made further statements.
Source: Naver