Amidst the alleged drug scandal, Park Bom of 2NE1 is also being scrutinized for potentially lying about her age.
Despite the founder of Park Bom's record label addressing the alleged drug smuggling reports in a personal letter, new updates from allkpop claim that the illegal amphetamines confiscated in 2010 were found inside a box labeled "jelly," mixed with candies and snacks.
If these accusations are true, observers believe that Park Bom would have only done so if she was already aware that the amphetamines prescribed to her in the U.S. were prohibited in Korea, and attempted to send it through international mail service anyway.
Along with these reports, Park Bom's real age is also being questioned alongside the drug scandal reports.
According to Korean news outlets TVDaily and Star Today, Park Bom's American name was listed as a sophomore in 1998, which could make her age older than 30 (born 1984).
In addition, there are also old trainee videos found on YouTube which showcase Park Bom in 2007. In the videos, Park Bom is labeled at age 25, which would make her older than she claims. However, because a person's age is calculated differently in Korea than in North America, it could be a simple misunderstanding.
"YG should take legal action against that newspaper," commented Daracanela on allkpop in regard to Segye Ilbo, who broke the story. "It's only trying to hurt Bom's reputation. The age is not a problem if she was studying in Korea and then transferred. She could've been ahead of some, [and] that's why she was a sophomore."
"I was 14 as a sophomore," added Ifeelcelestial on July 2. "You know it's not impossible to be 14."
Check out Park Bom's trainee videos from 2007 below.
