A false school bullying accusation targeting ILLIT member Wonhee sparked brief controversy online, but was soon debunked thanks to the swift efforts of fans. The claim originated from a foreign user pretending to be Korean, and the account in question has since been deleted.
@prodgselle
“It'll probably get deleted, but please remember that Wonhee was a bully.
– Eri”
“My story about Wonhee (ILLIT)
It's not easy to share this, but I believe people have the right to know the truth behind the image they're seeing now, so I decided to speak up. I went to the same school as Wonhee, and at the time, I was constantly bullied by her.”
“This is my personal experience. I'm not asking you to blindly believe me. I just wanted to share what I went through after a lot of hesitation and fear. Sometimes the past of certain idols may not match their current image, and I wanted people to keep that possibility in mind.”
On August 1, 2025 (KST), an account on X (formerly Twitter) using the handle @prodgselle and the display name “에리” posted a tweet claiming that Wonhee had bullied the user during their school days. The post alleged exclusion and verbal harassment but was soon met with suspicion due to awkward phrasing and grammar issues that suggested the writer was not a native Korean speaker. Several expressions appeared to be machine-translated.
Fans began a coordinated investigation into the account’s history. It was revealed that @prodgselle had previously operated as a BLACKPINK fan account and had a consistent history of criticizing HYBE artists. The profile photo and username matched an Indonesian TikTok account, indicating that the user had falsely posed as Korean to lend credibility to the claims.
The tweet activity patterns further fueled doubts: most posts were made during Korea’s early morning hours, aligning with nighttime in Southeast Asia. Some fans analyzed technical details such as link formatting and device metadata, concluding that the account was likely operated outside Korea. The goal appeared to be sowing discord within K-pop fandoms by impersonating a Korean speaker.
As more fans reported the tweet and exposed the deception, the @prodgselle account was either deleted by the user or suspended by the platform. The incident highlights the danger of false rumors, especially when combined with identity manipulation in online spaces.
So far, neither HYBE nor BELIFT LAB has released an official statement. Some fans argue that no response is needed now that the truth has been revealed, while others believe the agency should speak up to defend Wonhee and prevent further harm.
The case underscores the power of fan-driven fact-checking in protecting artists, and it serves as a reminder of how easily false information can spread when fueled by impersonation and malicious intent.
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