A shocking claim from former 2NE1 main vocalist Park Bom has set off a fresh wave of controversy across the K-pop world after the singer alleged she was used as a scapegoat in a drug scandal that, according to her, was meant to shield fellow group member Sandara Park.
The stunning accusation surfaced in a handwritten letter Bom posted on Instagram on March 3, though the message was later deleted. By then, screenshots had already spread widely online, igniting fierce debate among fans and observers of the Korean entertainment industry.
In the letter, Bom revisited the long-running controversy surrounding her importation of Adderall in 2010, a medication prescribed to her in the United States to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. The issue exploded into a national scandal in 2014 after reports surfaced that the drug had been shipped to South Korea, where the substance is banned due to its amphetamine content.
Although prosecutors later suspended the case after confirming the medication had been legally prescribed, the incident left a lasting mark on Bom’s career and reputation.
More than a decade later, the singer now claims the story behind the scandal may not have been what the public believed.
Bom wrote that the Adderall prescription was legitimate treatment for her condition and insisted the controversy was exaggerated and mischaracterized. But the most explosive part of her message came when she alleged that another issue involving Sandara Park had been quietly buried at the time.
According to Bom’s account, Sandara had allegedly been involved in drug use, and attention was redirected toward Bom’s medication controversy instead.
She claimed the situation was framed as a “drug scandal” involving her in order to divert public scrutiny away from the supposed issue with her fellow group member. However, Bom did not name who she believed orchestrated the alleged cover-up.
The singer also questioned how her case was handled legally, arguing that there was no clear system or regulatory framework in South Korea governing Adderall at the time of the incident. She even suggested that stricter rules around the drug only appeared after her controversy became national news.
Bom’s emotional letter also directly mentioned her former agency YG Entertainment and figures tied to the group’s management, including founder Yang Hyun-suk and producer Teddy Park. She also addressed 2NE1 leader CL in her message.
Toward the end of the letter, Bom pleaded with those figures not to accuse her of abusing medication beyond what had been prescribed, saying she felt compelled to speak publicly because of the emotional burden she had carried for years.
Shortly after the post disappeared, Korean media outlet OSEN cited a person described as close to the singer who claimed the message had been written during a period when Bom’s health was unstable.
The explanation has not stopped the controversy from spreading rapidly online.\
The allegations arrive amid a series of unusual headlines involving Bom over the past few years, including widely discussed social media posts about actor Lee Min-ho and disputes tied to her former agency.
For now, Sandara Park has yet to issue any response to Bom’s accusations, leaving fans and industry watchers waiting to see whether the silence will hold—or if another chapter in the escalating K-pop drama is about to unfold.