This page will be written in two subheadings.

1. Timeline: containing the exposure chronology from the first Exposer to the latest Exposers

2. Analysis: containing situation analysis (confirmation of misleading info)


TIMELINE

    The first exposure post about Kim Garam's bullying controversy was made on April 5th after Kim Garam being announced as LE SSERAFIM member. The first post was made on Twitter (the account has been deleted now). Her controversial predebut pictures begun to spread around.

 










     




 
"School friend of Kim Garam stated that she is well known for picking on other students, drunk and smoke, attacked juniors who didn't greet her through facebook, etc. But there was also an old post Kim Garam facebook where she clarified that she and her gang didn't smoke"
     An OP also claimed on April 5th, that the victim just collapsed and was sent to the ER after the perpetrators, which currently go to the same high school with the victim, wrote this on the board. The OP also stated that Garam used to be in the debut line up of IVE. Other people also stated that the victim(s) are stressed out after they saw her debut announcement.
 
"April 5th (Tue)
Yoonseo friend!!
LE SSERAFIM
congratulation on the debut
Kim Garam
"HYBE" (spource music) (you know bangtan right?) 
Debut with Sakura and Kim Chaewon
won over IVE"

    A screenshot from an account claimed as HYBE's staff was leaked on the same day. Part of the text shown in the document are hinting on how the information is likely true especially there are many witnesses who stated that the incidents were true.

     Meanwhile, on the same day, there were several people claiming to be Kim Garam's fellow middle school alumnus who created post to defend her. One of the OP on Pann claimed that

- Garam was not involved in drawing or writing the sexual trace
- Garam was a victim
- Garam helped OP to get along with other kids

But, a netizen pointed out that all of the OPs who defended Garam are the same people due to the same dirt spotted on their camera lens.


 original

    Then, on April 6th at 00:52 AM, another post was made on Pann and OP also provided their school graduation book & ID card as the proof. The OP explained that currently the people are slowly being silenced.


original 
 

"(Alumnus) I'm going to expose LE SSERAFIM Kim Garam"

I went to the same Middle School with Kim Garam for 3 years. She was famous for having bad attitude to the point of everyone from other school know it. For one whole year, I really didn't want to go to school because Kim Garam and that bully group kids picked on and stressed me out. Whenever there was a big accident or school violence blown up in middle school, Kim Garam almost always being associated to it. I am not sure about smoking or alcohol, but if there is any kid she doesn't like, she would come with her group to swear in group of people, picked up on them, and attacked them on Facebook. Being sworn in front of all the kids and being picked on all alone was a daily thing. I lived while receiving swear words and immoral ad-lib... It was my first time to see a girl who do really really lots of sex ad-lib... I am the victim of the school violence. A violence is not only something which should include fist hitting.. She was so good in picking on people that there is no certain evidence left. Since it's a problem that's easy to ignore, it is so unfair for victims like me, who suffered a lot. For real, seems like the post slowly being deleted and people are being silenced. I'm so frustrated because it is an incident from 3~4 years ago and even more because there is no evidence. When hearing about the debut news for the first time, the victims from our highschool and other highschool come out and there is no other words beside "what kind of gut is she making a debut with?" and "I will expose her past". If you are from the same middle school, you will know all the past. The supporting post which exist now are written by the bully group friends at that time. As expected it was between those people. Will iljin kid attack the kids in the same bully group? Of course they will treat their people good.. This is not the time to hear the perpetrator's words but you should listen to the victim's words.. It's disgusting and very traumatizing to see kids who did the same thing defending each other.. If you are going to say and silence the victim by saying "it was just a joke what's the matter?", please think twice how hurtful it would be for the victim. As proof, I will attach the graduation album, the student ID photo, and the abusive language on TikTok."

OP's mentioned TikTok proof:



After the second OP come out, HYBE x Source Music Released a statement on April 6th at 1.49PM KST


Summary:

-The recent allegation was maliciously edited the problem during early days of middle school

-Kim Garam is the victim of malicious rumors and cyberbullying instead of perpetrator and this information was received by the company through a 3rd party

-Source Music has launched legal action

    Still on the same day, some Twitter accounts received information from several of her alumnus or acquaintance and delivered it to public.

 

 

Here are some of information received by the informants:

Summary:

- OP was Kim Garam's Kunkook elementary fellow school alumnus in Gwangju.
- OP claimed that Kim Garam had always been known for having bad personality and is a person who is worthy to be labelled iljin
- Ordinary kids' behaviour usually shown but according to her ex classmates, Kim Garam was a kid who was clever in hiding it
- There was an incident when Kim Garam was scolded because she wore short during winter
- She was also known for being impolite and pick on her friends
- Kim Garam moved from Gwangju to Seoul after graduated

There were other post on Pann and Twitter too which indicated that Garam moved from Seoul>Gwangju>Seoul again.

Pann SUMMARY:
- Garam is not clean
- Garam moved from Gwangju to Seoul

Twitter SUMMARY:
- Garam moved from Gaebong Elementary School in Seoul to Gwangju but she moved back to Seoul
- Garam drunk and smoke during elementary school, skipped school then being picked up by police car to go to school, did physical bullying to the level of Busan bullying case (well known bullying case of mid school students in Busan)
- When Garam transferred to Seoul, the teacher called her to apologize to the kids in Gwangju then she did but swear afterwards.
- Garam deleted all her SNS after entering SOPA
- Garam has 10 years younger brother


At around 5PM SKT, another exposer give information to the informant due to their frustration seeing the victims in pain now. They posted a new Garam's predebut pic as a proof.

SUMMARY:

- Garam said herself that she came to Seoul after hurting her fellow schoolmates' head
- Garam said that she wanted to be a musical actrees around the 2nd year of middle school but probably change her statement after receiving vocal class in the academy. Musical actrees > idol
- All the predebut pics were really her and she also did drunk and smoke
- There was a bullying comission opened in the middle school due to the high level of bullying
- OP heard it herself about Garam's sexual remark towards V but now they said that she is a fan of NCT not BTS anymore according to their acquaintance
- The 3rd party who informed HYBE is likely to be Kim Yunseo because someone saw her go from school right after arriving and HYBE write the statements according to the friends who are on the same boat with Garam
- OP stated that Kim Garam is someone who doesn't deserve the love from people (due to her past)

Kim Yunseo is the left girl on the tiktok profile picture.


    On the same day, someone criticized people who still defend Kim Garam. They stated that Kim Garam often pick on juniors who didn't greet her and even calling out senior who said that she couldn't dance while she was dancing. Other person also left comment mentioning the same statement about drunk, smoking, picked on people, and swearing.


 

    Still on April 6th, one of the OP who was being claimed as Garam's bully friend based on facebook comments stated that there are misunderstanding.

"People are fuckin misunderstood. I hate Kim Garam tho. What do you mean by supporting her? what a nonsense Kim Garam friend. Kim Garam told that she didn't want to be friend. I left the comment there "what kind of friend.." but they didn't read it. The one who stick around her is Kim X Seo*, tell them that"

*Kim X Seo is Kim Yunseo who was in her tiktok pfp. She is a model trainee. Her acc is locked after Kim Garam's scandal blown

"Kim Garam cut ties with OP (only greeting relationship)"

"OP stated that they have not been friend with her for 3~4 years already. It doesn't mean that OP is supporting Kim Garam just because she said that the exposer are not real victim at that time. They had clash then are not in good relationship anymore and OP also think that there was misunderstanding between Garam and her."

The mentioned comments which claimed as Garam bully friends who support her.

Other OP also stated similar informations. Two of the people shown in that comments were also the one who took care of the victim after left from Kim Garam's gang/group. (source)

The Exposure of Kim Garam has not stopped on April 6th, an OP shared Kim Garam's old ASK (korean QnA site) account.

Q: how is your rs with xx?
A: emh it's fucked kk


 "Q: I knew that you drunk and smoke on elementary school crazy b1tch!

A: where did you hear it crazy b1tch?

Q: unblock me"

Proof provided by OP:




ANALYSIS

   Now, how if we take a look at the information which have been spreading between international internet users? Especially which recently being spread by Kim Garam's fans.

1. Kim Garam does NOT have mole, while the girl's who is being spread has? WRONG


 Kim Garam's fans claim

Kim Garam has always had mole on her RIGHT cheek. NOT LEFT.
Her selcas are mirrored.

2. The neck tie's of the girl pics spread by Kim Garam's old friends are BLACK/NAVY, while her graduation pic has RED neck tie? WRONG

Kim Garam's Fans Claim

Kyeongin middle school official neck tie for girl is red and boy is navy.
In the predebut pics provided by her old friends, she used both red and navy.
The pictures provided by fans are from graduation book photoshoot, so they have to wear according to the official rules. Sewol pin is not an onbligation atribute.

3. Garam has never had bangs? WRONG

Kim Garam's Fans Claim

Kim Garam used to have bang during her elementary school days.

Picture sent by her old friend with no bang on middle school

No bang middle school pic


No bang middle school pic



4. They does not look alike or has nothing similar in common? WRONG

     Let's point out similarities between these two pictures!

- Moles


- Body proportion & clothes


- Finger shape


- Nose (before getting filler and after) comparison to baby pics

Her predebut nose looks more similar to her baby pics because she got nose filler. Nose filler make nose looks more natural and slightly higher.

Example on how natural before and after nose filler for low nose bridge and tip.   

5. IVE and LE SSERAFIM name written on the middle school board? Victims collapsed after hearing HYBE's lawsuit? WRONG

OP mentioned that it was taken in the "current highschool" where the victim and her old friends currently go to.
 
The tittle written by Daily Naver is not related to their source title.
OP never claimed that the collapse was caused by the law suit specifically. But it was due to stress and pressure from Garam's old friends in the current high school.

6. Who is Yujin mentioned in a certain pic? CANNOT CONFIRM


- The statement which said that "the girl in the picture is Yoojin" cannot be confirmed because it is based on the assumption that the girl's name is what written on the pic.

- It is possible that it was the name of other friend who took that pic or friend whom Garam sent the picture to.

- It was claimed by her old friend that it was Garam.

If we decide to ignore this pic, it does not mean the rest pictures are not Garam based on the similar traits they share.

7. Now how if we swap edit Garam pics? (filtered/make up to natural & natural to filtered/make up)

Look alike? NO. It is the same person.

   Therefore, based on the current data, we will conclude that all the pictures which are provided by Kim Garam's old friends are actually her. We want to point out two main point of this issue.

Kim Garam indeed has done some sexual ad-libs and gestures during her middle school era.

The amount of testimonies come out hinted us that there was at least an actual school fight/violence done by Kim Garam.

We want to make it clear as well that we are not part of any haters community and only analyzing the available data on internet. We also hope that fans can hold a public figure accountable or having fair judgment towards the issue.