New employee testimony confirms H.O.T's Jang Woohyuk is the CEO who allegedly assaulted his trainees
On June 7, an anonymous netizen made an accusatory post online which revealed that a first-gen idol-turned-CEO had abused him so much so that the trainee had given up his dream of becoming a K-pop idol and enlisted in the military. The OP (original poster) accused the former boy group member and his former CEO of claiming that he was physically assaulted a total of eight times, including six slaps and two knocks on his head. Then, the OP claimed that he did not want much but for the CEO to apologize for his past actions.
Soon after the post went viral online, K-pop fans started speculating between many idols from the first generation who were part of boy groups. Fans wondered if it was Rain or Shinhwa's Andy or H.O.T's Jang Woo-hyuk (Woohyuk). Investigative fans analyzed the original photo posted by the OP from his trainee days and revealed a dance practice room that was similar to the one that Jang Woo-hyuk was seen in during one of his videos.
RELATED ARTICLES
2 more trainees share 1st-gen idol CEO's assault, fans sure it’s H.O.T's Jang Woohyuk
Former employee further exposes the idol-turned-CEO
The post immediately went viral and more fans confirmed the abusive CEO eas Jang Woohyuk. Two victims came out and shared their stories about being assaulted by the same CEO. The victims (Victims 2 and 3) stated that they got courage from the OPs (Victim 1) and soon after that, an ex-employee (Victim 4) from the agency released evidence online with additional testimonials of assault by the first-gen idol. The employee talked about their journey with the company and soon revealed that they were made to work excessively without the possibility of a hike in their pay.
The employee claimed how they struggled when the CEO tried to get more work done from them without hiring more employees and revealed how the former idol left the employees starving and parched throughout the day without making arrangements for any food or water for the staff during his outdoor shoots in remote locations. The employee then narrated another incident when the CEO was trying to coerce them to lie on their behalf. The employee revealed that the CEO began cursing profanities at the employee.
The employee added that the former idol-turned-CEO manipulated the limited employees that worked with him and insulted them on a regular basis and that the employee (Victim 3) had to quit their job within three months. They also shared some evidence to expose the former idol saying, "These are the only pictures I have left. It was in 2014 when I was working for the company. These are the photos I took when he asked me to pick him up from the Incheon International Airport on my day off and additional photos of my flight ticket when I went overseas with them."
Victim 1 backs out after a conversation with the CEO
Days after the scandal blew up, OP (Victim 1) resurfaced on the internet to calm the situation down after more victims of the CEO surfaced online, On June 10, the OP made a new post online stating that he was contacted by the first-gen idol and CEO on June 8 who he met up with. Then, OP stated that since the incident took place a long time ago, it had developed a lot of misunderstandings over the course of that time. The OP then backed out of their claims saying, "We took time to share the feelings we had kept deep in our hearts, and had a sincere talk about what happened back then. In some ways, I was also at fault."
OP states that he magnified the contents while describing them in his initial post. He adds, "We were able to look back on those days face to face while exchanging apologies and reminiscing. We then parted with amicable feelings." The OP stated that his ill feelings towards his ex-CEO were resolved and that he was not the bad person OP misunderstood him to be but instead was a warm-hearted person.
to those who keeps on saying its Andy of Shinhwa... please refer to this and explain... im not gonna let anyone drag his name to this so please STOP! pic.twitter.com/mADwNbVWKh
— 4everwithUleesunho (@nayd_dyan) June 7, 2022
'Jang Woohyuk is known to have a bad temper'
However, since the post from the former employee was released online, fans began talking about H.O.T's Jang Woohyuk and claimed that he has been notorious for his bad temper even when he was a member of the boy group. One fan revealed, "He is Jang Woo-hyuk and he was a member from H.O.T." One more fan responded, "Not surprised Jang Woo-hyuk is known to have a bad temper even his fellow members complain about him a lot."
One fan asked, "Didn't his members mention he has a bad temper too?" One fan said, "He is the reason why HOT reunion is impossible." One fan said, "Moon Hee Jun his fellow member always said that while HOT was active Jang Woo Hyuk is the one who give him the hardest time."
One more fan said, "I can still recall how careful everyone is on the words that they'll use when IC made that comeback special for HOT and how it almost fell apart because of him but the members were like, we are expecting this from him." Another fan said, "Now the collection is complete and all HOT members have scandals."
One fan said, "Nobody like his behaviour. He always known to be bad temper idol since forever. This news didn't shock me at all." One user pointed out, "Sounds like op1 was threatened with a lawsuit i hope the man faces consequences given the other testimonies. One more fan said, "Isn’t it well-known he has a horrible temper? not surprised at all. it seems like some of these male idols from the 1st generation were even more unhinged than the current ones."
Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.