Fans remain divided on Garam’s exit…
Koreaboo
11 minutes ago
A TikTok posted by LE SSERAFIM shortly after their debut is causing quite a stir on X (formerly known as Twitter). The video has recently resurfaced and ignited debates surrounding former member Kim Garam.
The controversial video, which shows the members hugging and celebrating their friendship, was originally posted not long after Garam left the group. The timing of this post has led some fans to question its intent, given that Garam’s departure from LE SSERAFIM was under controversial circumstances.
they uploaded this a day after Garam was kicked out from lsrfm, they look so fake fr pic.twitter.com/uQwhZhbE4i
— sofia (@kjstrickz) October 26, 2024
Garam’s exit was confirmed in mid-2022 after HYBE and Source Music announced her temporary hiatus in response to allegations of bullying. These accusations surfaced in May 2022, and following a wave of public criticism, the company eventually decided to terminate her contract in July. In her absence, LE SSERAFIM continued promoting as a five-member group, moving forward in the face of a complicated public image situation.
Now that the TikTok clip has re-emerged and making rounds around social media once again, opinions among fans remain divided — just as they were two years ago.
Some fans claim that Garam’s inclusion would have added to the group, voicing disappointment that she wasn’t given a chance to stay. A few have gone so far as to accuse the remaining members of acting dismissive toward Garam by posting a celebratory video so soon after her removal. The group was even accused of acting like “mean girls.”
the real mean girls https://t.co/zsgQdfRoFD
— harley (@oIdpistoIa) October 26, 2024
she would’ve outshined them anyways pic.twitter.com/txWhTBUyyC https://t.co/9PBT5ml9R4
— ໊ (@Iovelys) October 26, 2024
Others point to LE SSERAFIM’s debut documentary series, noting that Garam was carefully edited out of scenes, which has fueled further discussions about her treatment post-departure.
Tbh, what more strangr for me at that time was in their 1st docu. In some scenes, Garam was clearly edited out, but there were some scenes where it was only 5.
Did they already single her out before debut? Then kicked her out after 1 month? Bad marketing still marketing? https://t.co/Ipqkvmantl pic.twitter.com/ClaCvnAGDl
— DaZhuo (@yuujiira) October 26, 2024
However, many fans argue in favor of the current members, suggesting that they shouldn’t be held responsible for Garam’s departure, which they believe was a necessary response to the allegations against her. Some also speculate that the remaining members may have felt pressure to project a united front as five to maintain the group’s image during a challenging time—which would explain the TikTok being posted so soon after her removal.
it's ironic to see kpoppies now try to defend garam when they were the reason she got kicked out you just can't make this sht up, with that group in your bio you should be ashamed to even mention garam's name 😭 https://t.co/CiI75VZorc
— 1-800 semi ia (@JTKblueberry) October 26, 2024
i dont understand the garam thing tbh. when lesserafim debuted and those allegations were made i was here. kpop twt Hated garam. literally everyone wanted her out. why're people changing the whole narrative now blaming lsf and their fans as if yall werent in the front line hating
— yu🎐 (@monosowl) October 26, 2024
Nearly 100k likes on this and yall want me to believe kpop stans gaf about garam? they are just using her as an excuse to hate on lesserafim pic.twitter.com/1cDKd3f75T
— liz (@zuhafimz) October 26, 2024
Ssera will never be the mean girls yall want them to be pic.twitter.com/Bk8oSQyFX3 https://t.co/hQeEnAjhzK
— i⚡︎ nahh (@pixyry) October 26, 2024
mind you 95% of kpop stan twt was AGAINST garam and bullied her out of the group. of course it's fake, they had to pretend they were happy to be ot5 because kpop stans would've dropped them otherwise for "supporting a bully" https://t.co/uFrg1WgfLd
— nevi ⚡️ (@miyawakissme) October 26, 2024
The resurfaced TikTok has clearly rekindled heated reactions, showing that Garam’s removal from the top girl group remains a hot topic.