Jinwon Soul/ Staff reporter
Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong, known as the “twin sisters” of the Korean volleyball team and the most well-known volleyball players in the South Korean volleyball league, are now dropped by the national volleyball team after several disclosures by their high school alumnus claiming the twins bullied other students as teenagers.
The beginning of the event was Lee Da-yeong’s post on her Instagram story. Lee Da-yeong, who repeatedly posted that she was getting bullied by someone on her social media, said “It’s going to explode soon. It is about to explode. I am going to reveal everything.”
She also posted a message saying, “Those that are bullying may be having fun, but those who are bullied want to die…”
The evidence showed that she was pointing at her teammate Kim Yeong Kyung when she posted those posts about herself getting bullied by someone in her team. Kim is also a very well-known volleyball player with one of the highest-ranking as women’s volleyball players in the world.
Who knew their words would come back like a boomerang? The tables have turned as Lee Da-Yeong’s posts on Instagram became controversial, and the victims who claimed to have suffered school violence from Lee Jae-Yeong and Lee Da-yeong appeared one after another. People who knew the twin sisters and Kim both, have also claimed that everything that Lee Da-Yeong posted on her social media was a lie, and the twins were the ones that were bullying others.
The reveals by the people who were bullied by the twin sisters were beyond shocking. It included all kinds of school violence, including abusive language, intimidation, extortion of money and valuables, and even threatened them with knives for the money.
Furthermore, suspicions spread that Kim Kyung-Hee, the mother of these sisters, who is also a former national volleyball team member, actively intervened in the training process since the girls were students and covered every happening that the twins caused, including bullying.
Eventually, Lee Jae-Yeong and Lee Da-yeong acknowledged their past school violence and posted their own written apologies on their social media.
“I deeply apologize for speaking and behaving like a child that gave tough memories and scars to my teammates who I have sweated and played with during my teenage years,” said Lee Da-young, admitting bullying in the past.
“I am seriously sorry to those who had to suffer from my wrongful words and actions from my teenage years.” Lee Jae-Young also acknowledged bullying and apologized to those people who have suffered because of her words and actions.
Lee Da-Young and Lee Jae-Young also mentioned that they wish to meet the victims and apologize again in person. Meeting and apologizing after 10 years seems like meaningless empty apologies. While the twins were getting more famous and building their careers, the victims suffered and watch them on television being loved by people.
“We thought of just moving on with things that have happened 10 years ago, but when we saw the perpetrators’ social media post, not reflecting on their own past actions, we were reminded of the past memories and are writing, hoping that they would look back on themselves.” Said one of the victims of the twins’ bullying, about what motivated them to speak up and reveal the truth about the twin sisters.
With the ongoing controversy, Pink Spiders, a team that the sisters are part of, has decided to issue an indefinite suspension of Lee Jae-Young and Lee Da-young. Also, the Korea Volleyball Association issued an unprecedented heavy penalty of excluding the national team players.
“The Korean Volleyball Federation, as an organization that manages and operates the league, feels strong responsibility and would like to apologize to the victims and disappointed volleyball fans in regard to the recently issued bullying case involving professional players’ teenage years,” stated KOVO about the bullying incident that the twin sisters have caused.
The twin sisters lost everything within just a few days- fame, honor, and career. They did not realize that their past actions might affect their lives now and had the audacity to show up on public media without any guilt or shame about their past mistakes.
They are now known as bullies by people and getting hate from many people, because of how well-known they are. The fact that they used to be bullies will follow them wherever they go and will affect their reputation. The twin sisters taught everybody how bullying others can hit themselves hard one day like a boomerang.
Bullying can never be accepted anywhere, in any situation. People who have bullied others can never be forgiven, and they must live the rest of their lives repenting their past mistakes and make it up for the victims. Those who have a past that is not something they can be proud of, should not be public figures and appear on any type of broadcasts or media. All the bullies should learn from the situation of the twin sisters and change their lives now because one day, karma will hit them back harder than they ever imagined.
Sources:
South Korean volleyball twins Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong dropped amid bullying scandal
South Korean volleyball team’s star twins dropped after bullying pasts emerge