Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Following Mina’s recent appearance on a show to reiterate her position about being bullied while in AOA by Jimin (but clarifying it wasn’t the other members), Dispatch has released extended logs of convos between the two of them and members.
The details of the call can be read here (and you should if you want to discuss them). Basically, the early text convos show a Mina and Jimin texting after Jimin’s dad’s wake, and the two were cordial. That continued for two more text exchanges up to a month later.
As we all know, by July, things had deteriorated and Mina made public allegations. Then they had gathered for a group meeting, which apparently included Choa. Dispatch released a transcript of the 128-minute meeting.
Jimin: I came because I have something to say also. That’s what you felt. I do not remember, but those incidents that you mentioned. I came because I want to apologize for those.
Mina: You truly don’t remember?
Jimin: So I’ll apologize about that. I didn’t know.
Mina: Wow.
Jimin: I came to sort things out. I’ll admit my fault for what I did wrong.
Mina: I wish you would say at least something that makes sense. I get that you don’t remember. Okay, I’ll understand that.
Mina: You’re not at that level. You remember when you hit me, right? You said you hit me because I was at the very front.
Jimin: Where did I hit you?
Mina: My chest like this! Should I hit you the same way?
Jimin: Did I hit you a lot?
Mina: Yes.
Jimin: I think I only pushed you like this…
Mina: No. You hit me with your fist. I guess you don’t have a good memory. It doesn’t seem like you came to sort this out.
Jimin: I came to sort this out.
Mina: Do you see this? These cuts on my left arm?
Jimin: Why did you do that. I’m sorry.
Mina: Why did I do this? Why did I do this? Jimin unnie? I’m so frustrated that you can’t remember what you did to me. How could you do something like that and not remember?
Jimin: Do you have a knife?
Chanmi: Don’t.
Jimin: I’ll just die.
Choa: Stop. If you’re going to apologize, then do it properly. What is this.
Jimin: I’m apologizing,…
Choa: You just have to say sorry for this to end..
Jimin: This is because of me, so I’ll leave.
Choa: If you leave, does that solve this?
Jimin: I’ll leave. I’m sorry guys. Mina, I’m sorry.
Chanmi: Wait everyone. Let’s calm down a bit.
Mina: You gave me that much and don’t remember?
Jimin: It’s my fault. I did wrong.
Mina: You don’t remember?
Jimin: Everything I did to you, I did wrong.
Mina: I became crazy.
Jimin: I’m sorry. I really…
Mina: But I
Jimin: But I really came to say sorry to you sincerely.
Mina: I became crazy. I’ve become broken, but you don’t remember?
Jimin broke out into tears. “I’m sorry that this is the extent of my memory.” “It’s all my fault. You don’t have to forgive me, but I really came to apologize.
Jimin: From my point of view,
Mina: Say it.
Jimin: From my point of view, as a leader to you…
Mina: You treated me well?
Jimin: I hoped that you would go down a better path.
Jimin: I hoped that all of you… So I didn’t know that those criticisms were painful and hurtful to you.
Mina: Because I have to go down a good path, you said my body is unattractive and my face is like X? Is that going down a good path?
Jimin: I never said that.
Mina: I got depression because of you and eventually went down a bad path. Do you know what I’m saying?
Jimin: I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I bothered you about trivial things.
Mina: You tormented me every day. You don’t remember, right?
Jimin: I tormented you every day?
Mina: Yes. I took medication every day.
Jimin: I’m the one who was with you until the end when you were sick. You also don’t remember, right?
Mina: I remember. But do you know what I was thinking inside? She doesn’t even know I’m sick because of her.
Jimin: Ah really? I didn’t know.Choa began mediating, and the other members expressed their thoughts.
Mina: Why do you dislike me?
Jimin: I don’t dislike you.
Mina: (to the other members) She was excessive to me, right?
Chanmi: We cannot side with anyone.
Choa: It’s difficult for the others to say anything. And Jimin, this problem will not be solved by you leaving. If she says she’s upset about something, just listen. You’re older.
Jimin: I’ll listen.
Choa: Just listen to her.
Choa: And honestly, how many times did we even meet before fighting like this? How many times will we even meet in the future? You can just listen to what she says and say, “Ah, alright. I was a bit young back then. Sorry.”
Jimin: Sorry.
Choa: Yes, like that.
Mina: There’s that saying that the one who hit doesn’t remember, but the one who got hit remembers forever.
Jimin: I’ll leave [AOA].
Mina: Don’t leave.
Jimin: No, I’ll leave.
Choa: Jimin, you leaving now will not solve anything.
Jimin: This is harming everyone.
Choa: This is what I think. We had a killer schedule. You might’ve taken your sensitivity out on Mina, and Mina could’ve also seen you that way when she was sensitive. Don’t you think so?
Choa: Jimin, Mina once said to me, ‘Unnie, I had a hard time because you were so sensitive.’ I had nothing to say because I felt so sorry. You just have to apologize in that aspect.
Jimin: I’m sorry that I was really sensitive, that I was too young, that my actions were mean.
Mina: If I could pay the contract penalty fee, I would’ve left earlier before I became mentally ill.
Jimin: I’m sorry. I’ll apologize for everything you experienced.
Mina: But I feel so frustrated because you say you don’t remember.
Jimin: I’ll remember.
Mina: You won’t remember.
Jimin: I will remember. Everything I did to you was wrong. I was too young and sensitive. I’m so sorry that I was so mean to you.
Hyejeong: I think that’s how it was. I did hear from Mina.
Hyejeong. But Unnie doesn’t remember. Because of you two… (the others are being harmed.)
Jimin: I’m sorry, sorry.
Hyejeong: Mina, you also have to apologize.
Mina: I apologize to the members and don’t have to apologize to Jimin unnie.
Jimin: Yeah. You don’t have to apologize to me.
Hyejeong: That’s not okay.
Jimin: I’m so sorry to you guys. I wanted our team to succeed…
Hyejeong: I know.
Mina: She’s lying.
Chanmi: Let’s listen. Let’s listen to what Jimin unnie has to say also.
Mina: Is having sex with guys for the team to do well?
Jimin: From my memory, I remember that what I did was for the success of our team from my point of view, so I think I didn’t realize that I was so wrong.
Jimin: Listening now, you all received so much stress. I am saying sorry for that.
Hyejeong: No, it’s okay. We are okay. We are in a team with you because we understand you.
Hyejeong: But because you don’t remember, Mina’s anger isn’t being resolved. Unnie, you could remember and apologize.
Mina: Hyejeong, how can she apologize when she doesn’t remember.
Hyejeong: A person can think about it.
Mina: She says she doesn’t remember even if she thinks.
Hyejeong: She must be taken aback. This is a sudden situation.
Mina: I have gone crazy.
Hyejeong: I think I’m also going crazy because of you.
Mina: Then go crazy.
Hyejeong: I don’t want to.
Choa: Mina! Jimin might really not remember, and she says she is sorry.
Mina: But you all saw her when she first walked in. I thought she was coming in to fight.
Chanmi: She might’ve arrived like that at first because she didn’t know these details initially. She might’ve arrived feeling doubtful.
Mina: I understand all of you, but really try living as me for a day.
Choa: I’m sorry, Mina. I’m sorry I didn’t know you more. We all should’ve talked about [issues] that we had…
Mina: Okay. I’ll accept the apology. I accepted the apology.
Jimin: I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
Mina: Okay, Unnie. I’m also sorry. I’m also sorry that I went out of my mind. I’ll stop mentioning my dad also. Sorry, Dad.
Jimin: We are sorry.
Hyejeong: Like I said earlier, it’s everyone’s fault.
Mina: Sorry. I’m sorry for everything, so everyone leave my house now. I’ll accept the apology. I accepted Jimin unnie’s apology. All good now, right?
Choa: Mina.
Mina: I think I’m going out of my mind.
Chanmi: How could we leave comfortably.
Mina: I’ll also try my hardest. I’ll try to forget and understand.
Choa: I also know how sensitive I was in the past. I was sorry to all of you.
Yuna: I think it should be better now that you let it out.
Mina: Yeah. I let out a lot. Some of it has been let out. I will try from now on, and I have to. What else can I do.
Mina: And you (Seolhyun), don’t cry.
Seolhyun: Okay. Don’t worry about us. And Unnie, if you live with a grudge, then it’s your loss.
Choa: We had a brutal schedule at the time. So we had no time to take care of ourselves.
Choa: But this is also true. You’re a really soft-hearted person. And when I say something to you, you don’t listen.
Mina: Yeah, you’re right.
Choa: You shut your ears.
Mina: Yeah I do. I’m fixing it.
Choa: So I thought, “She’s just not the type to listen”…and honestly kind of gave up. But Jimin, when she said something to you, you followed her well, so I think she thought that was right. Even though it really wasn’t. It got off on the wrong foot.
Mina: Yeah.
Choa: And you were unhappy about that. It became a problem because we fought too little.
Mina: I should try hard too. I’ll have to get my head screwed on straight now. You came [to my house], talked, said sorry, and cried.
A member: Even Seolhyun who had the hardest time said sorry.
Seolhyun: No, no.
Mina: Yeah, your face has gotten smaller. Is your schedule still brutal?
Seolhyun, Yeah, I’m filming a drama.
Choa: Don’t post [on Instagram] anymore, okay?
Mina: Of course.
Choa: When I think about the time I went out of control and posted a lot, I get goosebumps. Later on, you’ll feel embarrassed about it.
Mina: I’m already embarrassed.
At that point, it seemed like maybe things were resolving. Even at that time, while there still didn’t seem to be clear on details, there was a shot it could settle. However, Mina clearly didn’t feel like things were resolving.
By November of 2020, things had deteriorated to the point of Mina texting Jimin unanswered, then again in April 2021 and May 2021, showing 11 such messages that talk about everything from her thought of suicide to insults to vague threats.
It also recounts in January 2018 when Mina had used managers to make personal appointments, not even for herself but for her mother, releasing convos of the manager’s hard times from April 2018.
A source from the Korea Entertainment Management Association considered this a power trip, explaining, “If it’s necessary for their activities in the entertainment industry, [the celebrity] can request a hospital appointment, but asking your manager to make a hospital appointment for your mother is way outside of their work scope.”
Mina responded to all this in an Instagram message, effectively saying that things are selectively edited and her side of things isn’t being told because the whole video is not out.
If there was a CCTV recording, I would want to reveal the entire video and audio. Please just reveal as much of it as possible. Weren’t you filming and recording from the moment you entered and left my house.. The team leader and manager who were especially close to Shin had accompanied her.. Please reveal it..
The managers mentioned in the report and the story behind the transcript, I know who all of them are and remember what happened. I don’t know who sent in the transcripts, it’s probably FNC’s team leader or manager or someone from Shin’s side, but I’d rather have the recordings with our voices revealed from beginning to end..
I’d rather they reveal my full conversation with manager Kim without omitting the context..
So like everything else about this, it’s a mess and not a fun type. I doubt the nuance needed will be displayed by K-pop fans at large, but we can try, I suppose.
My general takeaway is not that Mina was a liar or Jimin is the worst human ever, but something clearly did happen between the two. Jimin apologized a bunch for wrongs, but the genuineness of that and the extent of what exactly she did is the issue for Mina. This was clearly FNC Entertainment’s de facto response to the situation, through primarily a transcript of what was basically their damage control meeting, and there wasn’t push back against the notion of bad blood between the two. I doubt we ever get the specific details from everybody on that because it’s in none of their best interests to rehash this part of it, but I am curious.
Mina’s trauma was already inflicted long ago and that likely impacts her actions that many news sites have been eager to take advantage of. A lot of that turmoil has likely led to her lashing out and continuing to randomly come forward with posts. It’s obviously a cycle and saying this about it is basically a broken record (even Choa told her), but in addition to help she probably needs to step out of the spotlight, as I genuinely cannot envision anything positive coming from continuing this cycle. Most people/netizens clearly do not care about how mental health struggles work and use her life as some kind of carnival to play at, so I can’t see anything but this playing out over and over again. It’s deeply concerning, to say the least.
Of course, this also doesn’t absolve Mina responsibility from her actions either. Mental health issues don’t pave over how you make others feel, and her treatment of employees wasn’t right, and (unless anything else comes out in the full transcript) her actions to insinuate that the other AOA members were involved in this caused them damage as well despite clearly her problem being with Jimin. But given her current state, I’m not sure she can get into that mindset where she has to apologize and/or take responsibility for things. Yet, at least.
Ideally, they would all be able to make this right. During the meeting, with the help of Choa mediating maturely, they seemed willing to try and make it work. But things rarely resolve ideally, and it’s possible there’s a long journey ahead to even getting to that possibility. It’s difficult to conclude there’s a clear good and evil here, which I know is disappointing to drama lovers and people who just want to simplify things. But it’s clear by now that the stakes are high, so just hoping for the best.
