Park Bom Clarifies Past Drug Incident In New Interview

On April 24, MBC’s investigative journalism program “PD Notebook” brought up the past incident of Park Bom bringing amphetamines into Korea.

The following day, Park Bom topped real-time search rankings on Naver as people were looking up details about the incident.

Park Bom met news outlet Sports Kyunghyang on April 26 at 2 p.m. KST for an exclusive interview to speak up about the past situation.

She began, “An acquaintance contacted me, so I watched ‘PD Notebook’ with my parents. They seem to be immune to the word ‘drugs’ now as they only sighed. It’s so difficult seeing my parents like that. When the drug reports were first released, they asked, ‘Did you really do it?’ but now they just sigh.”

She continued, “If I had done drugs even once, I would not feel that it is unfair hearing such things. I really have never done drugs. I did get investigated but I was not charged.”

Park Bom then explained, “I have a personal illness. I have had to take medication since my middle school and high school days. It is ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which is an illness not well-known in Korea. Edison, the king of invention, also had this illness. The name of the disorder has recently become known, but there is no correct medication for it, so I take medication for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). As it is not the right medication for it, it is difficult to endure the disorder.”

“I became known as a drug smuggler when I brought in Adderall. In the United States, it is a common medication used for the treatment of illnesses like the one I have. It is something that happened partially due to my ignorance during the process of bringing it in, but it’s frustrating that people say that this medication is 100 percent amphetamines. Calling it drugs, but isn’t it something I can’t not take to treat my illness?”

Park Bom also responded to rumors about her being 40 years old (in Korean reckoning). She commented, “Ask my friends. Born in 1984, I am 34 years old (in Western reckoning). Does it make sense that I’m older than my older sister?”

“It has been five years since I let go of singing. Because I got so much hate, I didn’t even want to be a singer. However, after the ‘PD Notebook’ broadcast, I felt that I have to be a singer. I can’t give up what I want to do the most and what I am the best at because I am intimidated by misunderstandings. I am thankful to YG which has raised me, and I also want to express my gratitude to producer Yang Hyun Suk. Other people ask if I feel hatred towards them, but that is not true at all. Also, I want to be successful in my return as a singer so I can buy a big building for my parents who have struggled a lot because of me.”

Park Bom appeared at the interview wearing a plum colored dress with a jean jacket. She shared, “I bought these clothes five years ago. I haven’t even really purchased clothes properly for five years. Even when walking on the streets, I was concerned that people would say something to me. I don’t have a car, so I have to go around running into people like that. I cannot drink very well, but there are times that I drink. My heart hurts, but I am forcing myself to endure it. If people would understand my situation, not even a lot, but just a little bit, I think I could sing again. Could you please just watch over me?”

After the “PD Notebook” broadcast, she wrote a long message to share with fans on social media but ended up not posting it and shared the post with the reporter. The note includes the explanations above about ADD, and she also says to her fans, “My heart really hurt because I couldn’t tell you anything… You don’t know how thankful I am and how much it hurts me because my fans and our 2NE1 fans patiently wait for us even though we are working individually.” She concludes, “I apologize for not gaining courage to write earlier because I was just taking time to be heartbroken, and I also apologize for causing trouble for many people.”

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