After both sides of the domestic violence incident between Hara and her ex were revealed, now comes the waiting for the results of the police investigation, as both the ex and Hara both reported for questioning.
The ex spoke with the press at the time of his questioning, but Hara didn’t say much. She has now talked with the press, starting by apologizing for her involvement in this incident.
On September 19, Hara held an interview with media outlet E Daily. She began, “I deeply apologize for causing fans and the public concerns due to this incident the past few days. Now, I hope to put an end to this incident which has grown uncontrollably out of proportion.”
She then talks about the relationship with her ex, regrets over the escalation in the press, and hope that things can be resolved amicably.
Hara then addressed her relationship with her ex-boyfriend ‘A’ for the first time. “We had a healthy dating relationship. Just a few weeks ago, we were a happy couple like in the movies, a couple who could never have imagined words such as ‘assault’ and ‘police investigation’ between us. We did have fights once in a while, but they were like any other couple. And then recently, we ran into a small misunderstanding which we were not able to overcome, and our fight grew bigger,” the singer shared. Furthermore, Hara reflected, “When the incident became a public issue through news reports, we began to fight back and forth like children in the dirt, carrying out an unsightly war of attrition. But when a fight occurs, there is responsibility on both ends. It cannot be because of the fault of one side.” Finally, Hara said, “I want to forgive, and to be forgiven by, the person whom I once loved. I hope that this person, who is talented and deserving of respect, will overcome this incident and find a bright future. Once again, I bow my head in deep apology to fans and the public.”
Hara was even asked about Jiyoung (fucking seriously?), and she confirmed herself that they’ve been cool and the whole thing is stupid as fuck.
When asked about the SNS controversy involving former KARA member Jiyoung, Hara waved the issue off, firmly stating, “It’s not even something to address. We do not have a bad relationship at all.”
Overall, it definitely feels like she just wants to move on at this point, which honestly is consistent with her wanting to keep things private compared to her ex offering the story to Dispatch before going to authorities. Or perhaps they settled it behind the scenes already.
CCTV footage was also released, and I thought maybe it might provide answers to questions, but it depicted the aftermath rather than the incident itself.
It’s reported that the new CCTV footage in the elevator took place on September 13, after police pulled out from Hara’s residence. Hara can be seen boarding the elevator and checking her neck for scars in the elevator mirror, while holding the elevator door. Two males suspected to be ‘A’ and an acquaintance of ‘A’ then board the elevator carrying luggage. ‘A’ then checks his own scars with his back turned to Hara, and is also seen smoking inside the elevator. The individuals then appear in a parking deck, converse briefly, and ‘A’ and his acquaintance leave the scene.
Yeah, not much to take from this since it doesn’t show anything regarding the violence at the center of this incident. So far, the netizen focus actually seems to revolve around the ex smoking in the elevator, which is a bit bizarre to me.