Produce X 101 is already a hit, the next installment of the series has captured the public’s attention again and with that many trainees grabbed attention, one particular popular trainee drew attention and became the center of various rumors.
A previous netizen who claims to be a classmate of Yoon Seo Bin has come out with serious allegations against the trainee. The netizen says Yoon Seo Bin was a notorious school bully. The netizen uploaded photos of him and Yoon Seo Bin proving he was a classmate.
The netizen goes on to say that he was known for being violent as a school bully and his violent behavior began in middle school and followed him to high school. Among the photos shared the trainee can be seen smoking and there are also photos of what could possibly be underage drinking.
Following the release of the information, JYP and Mnet said they would be looking into the allegations and confirm their position later.
On May 8, JYP Entertainment (where the trainee is signed to) came back with an official statement, in their statement they explain his contract has been terminated adding he will be dropped out of Produce X 101. They vaguely explain the reason saying,
“JYP Entertainment believes that Yoon Seo Bin did not behave in line with our company’s policy, we have decided to terminate our contract with him.”
Mnet also came out with a statement explaining the trainee has also been dropped and his screen time will be minimized, there are many episodes that he has filmed with the show and Mnet explains they plan on editing the footage in a way that doesn’t affect the other trainees who appeared together with him.
Netizens are praising JYP and Mnet’s decision to drop the problematic trainee.
The rumors surrounding him remain unconfirmed as both the label and Mnet didn’t comment on what the truth exactly is but judging from their response netizens believe the rumors are true.
What do you think of their decision?
UPDATE: Former JYP Trainee Yoon Seo Bin Apologizes For His Past Mistakes
My Personal Thoughts
I saw the story and didn’t run with it at first because I wanted to see where it was going, its sad this is how it turned out to be.
Everybody makes mistakes and many of us did dumb stuff growing up. Underage drinking and smoking aren’t much of a big deal to me personally because I know a lot of boys around his age do such things (they’re more or less harmless to a certain extent) but what I find inexcusable is the bully rumor.
I was bullied in high school and let me tell you its not a pretty experience, it follows you as you grow up and haunts you sometimes depending on how much you were bullied.
I personally choose not to support artists who bully people, I know some might be ‘but kids make mistakes…’ but personally I just can’t know if he’s repenting and all of that.
The netizen who ratted him out could have known about how much his bullying hurt people and he/she couldn’t stand seeing him happily smiling on TV on his way to lead a successful career. It’s kind of a cheap move but it is what it is, nothing stays hidden in this social era especially bad or outrageous behavior.
We’ll probably never know the full truth, but since JYP terminated his contract I am judging they found out about things that led to this decision. JYP artists are known for being clean righteous well-behaved idols, JYP wouldn’t want anything to mess with that. The kid looked talented and it looked like he had a good future ahead of him but with such rumors following him, it’ll be very difficult for him to debut in South Korea.
Koreans value morals so underage drinking, smoking and bully rumors are a huge no-no, netizens don’t back such actions up or tolerate it.
