The last 24 hours have been a PR nightmare for YG Entertainment staff and 2NE1‘s Park Bom. Recently a well known media outlet broke the news of the lead singer’s failed attempt to smuggle 85 tablets of Amphetamines, back in 2010, back to Korea after visiting the States. After the news broke out of the investigation, it threw fans into hysteria, as they tried to figure out what happened and formed numerous conspiracy theories as to why this came to light, now, after four years since the incident actually occurred.
Many fans stated she should face the consequences for breaking Korean law and even compared it to G-Dragon‘s marrijuana incident a few years back. Regardless of their own skeptical outlook of the situation fans continued to show their support.
In regards to the controversy YG Entertainment’s CEO, Yang Hyun Suk, has since released a personal handwritten statement, squashing all fictional elements that certain sites stated. YG stated that the prescription medication was to help with a condition Bom has battled since her youth, in the document he shows his sympathy and shows the reasoning behind the scandal.
“Dear readers, this is Yang Hyun Suk.
I am here to give you a brief explanation of the misunderstandings that surfaced last night.
I would like to point out the articles refer to the incident that occurred 4 years ago. Back then, BOM’s parents paid a private visit to inform me her family had been investigated due to the incident, And revealed to me for the first time, in private, a shocking incident BOM experienced in the past along with her medical history. So until the articles were published, neither YG members nor the members of 2NE1 had the knowledge about the incident.
Thus I thought it was right to explain the incident myself, as I personally heard the story, rather than making an official announcement by the agency that was not informed of the incident earlier.
I have seen 2NE1 for 9 years since they were trainees. The last 9 years we spent together tells me that none of the members smoke… nor do they drink much… Apart from official events, I have never even seen them go clubbing in private.
That is my knowledge, and I have never heard rumors on these issues either. And the articles turned BOM, whom I knew for 9 years, into a “drug smuggler” overnight.
I am left aghast and am at a complete loss for words. Do I need to give an explanation to something that does not make sense? Would that create more trouble? I had to give it a lot of thought before I reached a conclusion.
For the fans cheering on for 2NE1, who are now in the middle of their World Tour… And for BOM, who is like a sister to me, who is now labeled a “drug smuggler” overnight, I could do more than just watch these things happen to her.
As the fans would already know, BOM lived in the U.S. for a long period of time before making a debut as 2NE1 and she once had a dream of becoming a soccer player.
But unfortunately, she had to witness a close friend’s death during a soccer match and she was put into deep shock and sadness that were too hard for a young girl to handle. She went through very difficult times, having to undergo psychotherapy and psychological treatment at the same time. She had been consistently taking medication officially prescribed by a famous university-affiliated hospital in the U.S.
Since the incident BOM was no longer able to play soccer and decided to become a singer. She came back to South Korea and auditioned for YG, and I remember the day vividly. The reason I so clearly remember her out of many is her fearlessness when she declared, “I will not be a singer if I couldn’t belong to YG Entertainment.”
She did not pass that year, but she came back the following year and failed again, but in the 3rd public audition she ranked #1 among thousands of contestants—that is how I remember her distinctly.
The reason I bring up stories that seem unrelated is that although I first met BOM 11 years ago, I never knew about BOM’s soccer background or her medical history until her father explained it to me 4 years ago and she never told 2NE1 members any of this—which only shows that this remains a painful memory she does not want to disclose.
However, despite my intentions, I am in the position to reveal the story. BOM had been taking medication officially prescribed by the U.S. hospital for years until 4 years ago, but as she was unable to fly to the U.S. due to busy schedules, BOM’s mother and grandmother had to post the medication prescribed by the same hospital to South Korea. The problem at the customs arose as the medication happened to be banned in South Korea. Fortunately, we received all the prescriptions and BOM’s medical record from the U.S. hospital,and we handed them in during the investigation. The case had since been closed, as all the record submitted had been proved true.
It is said the medication contains narcotic components—were you informed of this? Nowadays most medications require doctor’s prescription, and how many people take medicine fully knowing what it contains? As I said on the program “Healing Camp” a few years ago, I also have to carry tranquilizers and take it everyday due to a panic disorder.
I am not curious of what the medication actually contains, and I would not know even if I were told of the contents. For BOM, she only knew the medication she had been taking for years was not handled in South Korea, but did not have the knowledge that it is prohibited for import. Since she was informed of the fact 4 years ago during the investigation, she replaced the medication to one that is prescribed by a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea. I had not seen BOM for a while since she was busy with the World Tour, and just last night she came into the office for recording, and the articles were published. I had to watch BOM break into tears all night, and I feel terrible that I am in the position to bring up her painful past that she did not want to reveal.
I extend my deepest apology for causing any worries And would like to humbly conclude my explanation.
I will be back with better news in the near future. Thank you.
2014. 07 .01
Yours sincerely,
YANG HYUN SUK”
Fans were pleased with Yang Hyun Suk’s statement but that did not stop fans from criticizing the news outlet which originally reported this incident. Their criticizing did not even have anything to do with the time that had past but due to the fact that it was a very personal and dark time for Bom, making fans feel overprotective of her.
Amphetamines are legal in the States but due to its negative affects, and it’s abuse, it is highly cautioned and is indeed banned in Korea. Even if its for medicinal use due to it’s negative impact and its close chemical balance to Methenamines. Amphetamines are indeed dangerous, yet it is often used in treatment for numerous health ailments such as depression and ADD/ADHD but can result in weight loss, liver failure and addiction.
It has also been revealed that the prosecutors did not brush off Bom’s case, as it had been reported by a local Korean newspaper, prosecutors stated the reason why the investigation was suspended was, “Smuggling and using amphetamine is a crime punishable by five-plus years in prison, so of course we are very careful in indicting people over this, we took a hard look at the information, and there was no preferential treatment for Park.”
The prosecutor involved in the investigation revealed also, “Through our investigation, we confirmed that Park had been prescribed amphetamines in the U.S. When she came to Korea, she felt that the drugs that contained no amphetamines did not work as well, so she ordered amphetamine pills based on what she had been prescribed in the U.S.”
The lead singer along with her fellow group members are currently on their second world tour “AON – All Or Nothing,” their most recent stop was Singapore. We here at Officially KMusic wish to send our sympathies in regards to this matter to Park Bom.
Readers, in regards to the scandal, what was your before and after thoughts in regards to it? Leave your comments below.
Source: YGLife, KoreaTimes
Edited by: Karolina
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