HYBE Girl Group Member Accused Of Bullying In Viral Accusations, Netizens Uncover Truth
A viral post accusing ILLIT’s Wonhee of school bullying has sparked intense debate online — but it’s not just the accusation that has people talking.
The post, which originated on X (formerly Twitter), featured lengthy claims in awkwardly written Korean, alleging that Wonhee had bullied the accuser during their school days.
일릿(ILLIT) 원희에 대한 제 이야기
이 이야기를 쓰는 건 정말 쉽지 않지만, 많은 분들이 지금 보여지고 있는 이미지 뒤의 진실을 알 권리가 있다고 생각해서 용기 내어 적습니다.
저는 원희와 같은 학교를 다녔고, 그 시절 저는 그녀에게 지속적으로 괴롭힘을 당했습니다.— 에리 (@prodgselle) July 31, 2025
My story related to ILLIT’s Wonhee. It was not easy riting this, but I am gathering courage to rite this as I think many people have the right to know the truth behind her two-faced image. I went to the same school as Wonhee, and I was bullied by her continuously.
prodgselle
However, Korean netizens quickly noticed inconsistencies — not in the story itself, but in the way it was written. As the accusations spread, Korean-speaking users began to dig into the accuser’s background, only to discover that they were likely not Korean at all, but an international K-pop fan allegedly pretending to be Korean to lend credibility to their claims. This could be easily spotted due to their awkward Korean, which suddenly made sense when translated to English.
This led to swift backlash, with many accusing the user of Korean-baiting — a term used when someone mimics Korean identity or uses broken Korean to appear authentic within the K-Pop space.
외국인님 뭐하세요…? https://t.co/BUsf0PQhdM
— 듀듀듀뱌뱌뱌 (@hypenconnect) July 31, 2025
You foreigner, what are you doing?
hypenconnect
Others even found out her true identity.
GIRL…YOU'RE MELISSA, AN INDONESIAN BLINK😭 https://t.co/5EKL6etKsI pic.twitter.com/hb8t3t8koN
— avery (@walt81343) August 1, 2025
girl you're Indonesian using fcking google translate https://t.co/oqGKHp7Mtv pic.twitter.com/f9mNgLYYIg
— ja ˗ˏˋ ✸ ˎˊ˗ (@illiespmj) August 1, 2025
The incident has reignited concerns about the weaponization of false claims in K-pop fandom spaces, and how easily misinformation can spread — especially when layered with cultural deception.
