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Former 2PM leader Park Jaebum was branded as a "sinner" and kicked out of the popular idol group by its agency JYP Entertainment (JYPE).
However, the controversial removal of Jaebum is backfiring on 2PM and JYPE's president Park Jin-young as fans are turning their back on them.
Yet, the group swept music charts even after the Korean-American singer left 2PM in September amid disputes about negative comments he made about Korea on social networking site MySpace between 2005 and 2007.
But the group faces the biggest crisis ever since its debut, with some fans threatening to boycott 2PM minus Jaebum.
For an explanation for the expulsion of the young singer, JYPE said Jaebum did "something seriously wrong that is more serious than his MySpace controversy."
The agency said it and the six members came to an agreement that it was no longer possible for Jaebum to continue activities with 2PM. But they are refusing to disclose what kinds of transgressions he committed.
Jaebum's fans are up in arms over why he had to carry the scarlet letter. They are venting their anger against the remaining members for what they call the betrayal of Jaebum.
In a meeting with fans last week, the group said they had no other choice but to agree with the decision to permanently kick Jaebum out due to his "serious wrongdoing."
As his fans are protesting against 2PM and its agency, his mother has asked them to refrain from taking any action against them in a letter sent to the Jaebum fan club.
Underground, the association of Jaebum fan clubs, made the letter public on its Web site, Tuesday.
"Despite all kinds of rumors that could cause a person to despair, Jaebum has shown his normal self and allowed us to not despair but have hope," his mother said. "I feel a bit relieved as it's all over now, even though it was not a favorable end for him."
She expressed wishes that her son won't be the subject of issues in the future.
In turn, the fan site called for its members to respect her request.
"Jaebum and his family went through a difficult time dealing with various rumors over the last six months. They no longer want him to be an issue now," the fan club said in a statement. "Underground has decided to respect their wishes. Supporting what he and his family want is part of a fan's last act of love toward Jaebum."
But disputes are unlikely to subside. Some fans are turning against 2PM and posting items against them and their personal information on various Web sites and online cafes.
On top of shutting down online fan cafes voluntarily, some fans are posting video clips showing the burning of CDs and photos of 2PM members.
In reaction, JYPE filed a complaint against netizens with the police.
"Some netizens are spreading the six members' residential ID numbers and personal information illegally. To protect their privacy, we have referred the case to the police," it said in a statement.
The conflict between fans and the agency is likely to continue as long as Jaebum's wrongdoing remains a secret. They said the cloud hanging over 2PM will be cleared only when JYPE comes clean on why it kicked Jaebum out of the group.
Credit: Korea Times
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