On April 28th KST, a post believed to have been written by Gaeun was uploaded to an online community. Introducing herself as Gaeun, she shared a handwritten note expressing the struggles she endured during her time in the group.

Gaeun, who had previously been part of LIMELIGHT before joining MADEIN last year, became embroiled in allegations that she was sexually harassed by the CEO of her former agency, 143 Entertainment.

In November last year, JTBC’s ‘Incident Chief’ reported that the agency CEO, referred to as Mr. B, had sexually harassed a female idol, identified as Member A. According to the released recording, A said, “Please just let me finish this promotion. That’s my only wish,” to which the CEO allegedly replied, “If I grant your wish, will you grant mine? Then my wish is for you to be my girlfriend for a day.” After the report aired, many speculated that A was Gaeun.

Following the broadcast, 143 Entertainment denied the allegations, stating, “There was no sexual harassment or any other sexual contact through abuse of power between the member and the CEO. We assert that the report is not true.” A week after the report aired, Gaeun, who had been on a health-related hiatus, officially left MADEIN. At the time, the agency announced, “Due to overlapping personal circumstances, she found it difficult to continue team activities and decided to withdraw.”

Gaeun expressed her gratitude by saying, “I sincerely thank everyone who trusted me, waited patiently, and offered warm support and concern,” and added, “I spent every day trying to stay strong so I could properly face this situation.”

She continued, “Although many difficult things kept happening during my activities, I endured it all out of fear that my dream of being an idol would end,” and reflected on the past, saying, “After the broadcast aired, I learned of my withdrawal from the team through news articles.”

Finally, Gaeun stated, “I will no longer run away. I will speak honestly about my feelings and what has happened until now,” signaling her intent to move forward.

Meanwhile, on April 28th, the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center (Hanbit Center) announced that together with Gaeun’s mother, they will hold a press conference on April 29th at the Korea Media Union’s conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul, to formally file a complaint regarding the alleged sexual assault by the 143 Entertainment CEO.

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