'My Teenage Girl' Contestant Jo Yujeong Accused of School Bullying + Admits to Fighting with Accuser and Further Explains Incident
Jo Yujeong has been accused of school bullying, to which she admits having fought with the accuser and explains her side of the story.
Keep on reading to know more.
'My Teenage Girl' Contestant Jo Yujeong Accused of School Bullying
"My Teenage Girl" is an ongoing reality survival program launched by MBC, and features 83 female trainees in their teens as they compete for a spot to debut in the show's seven-member global girl group. The show has been airing since November 28, and broadcast 12 episodes until its final airing on February 13, 2023.
Since the show's airing, "My Teenage Girl" has been garnering attention for its contestants and judges, including (G)I-DLE's Soyeon, Girls' Generation's Yuri, former Fin.K.L member Ock Joo Hyun, and former "Street Woman Fighter" dancer Aiki.
Recently, "My Teenage Girl" contestant Jo Yujeong, who was eliminated from the show during the second elimination round, is facing allegations of school bullying.
A reporter from media outlet Money Today had reportedly interviewed the accuser back on December 15.
According to the accuser (hereafter referred to as "A"), Jo Yujeong had bullied her for three years back in middle school.
"A" said that her first altercation encounter with the "My Teenage Girl" contestant was back on March 5, 2014 while at the school's cafeteria during lunch.
"A" had reportedly gotten into a fight with Jo Yujeong after the latter had mistakenly thought she was cutting in line. This eventually led Jo Yujeong's friends bully "A."
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The two also had classes together, and they had their second altercation there. "A" then claims that Jo Yujeong and her friend had assaulted her after school on that day, and that she was allegedly grabbed by her hair and kicked in her abdomen, which resulted in "A" having injuries and a tear in her ear.
"A" eventually contacted the school regarding the altercations, but the school had made "A" and Jo Yujeong write a reflection on their actions during detention and closed the case instead.
Following the incident, Jo Yujeong had reportedly bullied her for the next three years in middle school, and that because of the bullying, "A"'s personality changed.
In addition to the bullying accusation, "A" also claimed that Jo Yujeong was part of a clique of bullies in school, and would often drink and smoke.
Concluding her interview with Money Today, "A" hopes to receive a sincere apology from Jo Yujeong, which she had requested in private prior to making her accusation public.
"How can she appear on the screen trying to be an idol when she had beat me and bullied me. I would not have exposed her had she apologized. She was crying on the show and I cannot understand how she can make someone else cry when she knew how to shed tears herself. Her appearance on TV is a showing a completely different persona from the one I know in real life. It is really hard to see," "A" said.
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Jo Yujeong Admits to Fighting with Accuser and Further Explains Incident
Following the accusations, Money Today also had an interview with Jo Yujeong on December 24 for her side of the story, to which she denies bullying "A."
"While it is true that we weren't on good terms with each other, I have never bullied her," Jo Yujeong said.
Regarding assaulting her, Jo Yujeong explains that "A" had instigated the fight by telling her she wasn't educated because she doesn't have a mother. This eventually led to a fight, and her friend was only trying to separate them from attacking each other.
Their school and teacher had also concluded the altercation as a fight, and not a unilateral battery, hence, a school bullying committee was not launched.
As for the apology "A" is requesting, Jo Yujeong insists that she won't be apologizing. "I don't want to apologize to "A," as I don't understand her actions. I don't understand why she would just make something up, and called the fight as an assault," she said.
Jo Yujeong also claims that "A" is not the victim. She also admits to being part of the friend group who drank and smoke, and apologized to anyone who felt intimidated by that and had to go somewhere else because of them.
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Written by Robyn Joan
