Dara Formerly of 2NE1 Flustered During "PD Notebook" When Asked About Bom's Drug Scandal

Sandara Park, better known as Dara of 2NE1, is doing very well in her career presently. After her K-pop girl group disbanded late 2016, Dara has been associated in K-beauty, especially on the variety show Get It Beauty on OnStyle. Now she's moved on to a brand new K-beauty variety show called Mimi Shop on JTBC.

On Wednesday, April 25 KST, Mimi Shop made its debut. To help continue promote the show, Dara was part of a press conference to answer questions about the variety show. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when Dara was asked about a very controversial topic about her former group mate and friend. Four years after the incident, Dara was bombarded with a question about Bom's drug scandal.

The press conference for Mimi Shop took place right after the debut episode aired on PD Notebook. Dara was all smiles, answering questions about the show. She especially was ecstatic about the time Jung Hae In (While You Were Sleeping, Something In The Rain) visited. The mood suddenly changed when one of the reporters asked Dara about an update on Bom in relation to her drug scandal.

"I heard that you're in contact with Park Bom. Please let us know how she's doing in the midst of the recent issues."

The question was considered inappropriate for the press conference as the host quickly stepped in and made it known that they were "only accepting questions relating to Mimi Shop." Unfortunately, the question flustered Dara which in turn effected the rest of the press conference. She stumbled answering the rest of the questions afterwards.

Back in 2014, Park Bom -- simply known as Bom when she was in 2NE1 -- was under investigation for smuggling amphetamines via international mail into South Korea.

According to YG Entertainment president Yang Hyun-suk, the drugs were actually legal via subscription through a doctor in the United States. However, all amphetamines, even those legal in other countries, are illegal in South Korea. If we were to take everything at face value, it can be said the incident is accidental.

Presently, the K-pop community is split on the drug scandal. The majority of K-pop fans believe the situation should be dropped as it is already four years old. The drug scandal already did its supposed damage. Because of it, it is believed 2NE1 was shelved until it was ultimately disbanded.

As for Bom, sadly her career is probably done. When the scandal was first made known, she went into reflection. Her budding variety show career was also put on hold too when she was "forced to leave" the first season of Roommate.

It is also believed YG Entertainment no longer wanted to be associated with the scandal. When Bom's contract expired, she did not re-sign with YG Entertainment. Unfortunately, she was unable to sign on with another label since then.

The next day after the PD Notebook episode featuring Mimi Shop, Bom came forward in an exclusive interview with Sports Kyunghyang. In it, she clarified the details about the scandal. She generally said what Yang Hyun-suk said about the drug scandal back in 2014. This time however, Bom revealed the drugs were specifically for ADD and ADHD.

"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?"

Bom also responded on other things in the interview besides her drug scandal. She clarified that she is thankful to Yang Hyun-suk and YG Entertainment for her time in 2NE1. She also responded on the rumors of her being in her forties and how she somewhat gave up on singing because of the scandal.

Finally, Bom concluded the interview apologizing to her fans especially Blackjacks (2NE1 fan club). She is sorry that staying silent hurt anyone in the process. She also asked for K-pop fans to give a little bit of understanding to her situation. If they do, she may even have the courage to sing again.

As for Mimi Shop, it made its debut on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. KST. Subsequent episodes are expected to air on the same day and time afterwards. No news on how many episodes the variety show will be.