Lee Ji-hyun, formerly of the girl group Jewelry, spoke about the bullying she endured while performing with Circle, a multinational group.
Lee appeared as a guest in a video titled "Jewelry's Lee Ji-hyun Has Become a Neighborhood Auntie Who Plays Along Well," posted on the 9th on the YouTube channel "Make Me New."
"Before debuting with Jewelry, I was in a multinational group called Circle, and I was 15 at the time," Lee said. "It was hard to overcome the cultural differences with the Japanese members, and since ijime was widespread in Japan back then, the target of bullying among the members changed every day."
"As a child, I found myself thinking, 'I wish tomorrow would never come,' and I felt there was no one who would listen no matter how much I cried out that I was struggling," she said. "I was young, but I decided the world was meaningless and closed the door to my heart."
Asked what her time with Jewelry was like, Lee said, "The older members had such good personalities that they embraced even someone like me. Even when I stayed quiet, they spoke to me and took the lead."
Lee debuted in 1998 with the girl group Circle and returned in 2011 as a member of Jewelry. In June, a full Jewelry reunion stage drew attention, bringing together Seo In-young, Park Jung-ah, Jo Min-ah and Ha Joo-yeon.
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