KARA Gu Hara says conflict came from lack of communication

KARA member Gu Hara on talk show "Steel Heart" [SBS]

KARA member Gu Hara has said that the conflict her girl group was embroiled in the past few months came from lack of communication.

Gu made the remark on a pre-recorded session of SBS' talk show "Steel Heart" aired yesterday, speaking about the hard time she and her bandmates went through after members Han Seungyeon, Kang Jiyoung and Nicole Jung said they would split from their agency DSP Media.

It was the first time all five girls officially showed up on Korean national television and addressed the issue since they had halted all activities in the country starting early this year until late last month when the three resolved all disputes with DSP and decided to continue their career with them.

"We were spending less time in Korea because we were carrying out our activities in both Korea and Japan so on top of us being sensitive because we were having a tough time from doing so, having less time to talk brought about misunderstandings that led to what happened," Gu explained.

"However, after it happened, there was a day we were filming the last scene to our Japanese drama and we were all supposed to sing a ballad on stage which is when I cried because I felt sad and wanted us to be on stage together again. We were all crying which is when I realized we all feel the same way," added Gu.

KARA, pursuing a singing career in Japan as well, had continued with their activities in the country by releasing singles and starring in their own drama named "URAKARA" which aired for 12 episodes starting mid-January.

"We realized how important and precious we are to each other after going through what we did so we constantly kept in touch to console each other and said we should find some sort of resolution. We are currently on better terms than ever," member Han stated, dismissing speculation and rumor of the group having internal conflict.

Kang, the youngest of the quintet said, "To me, Gyulee is like an answer sheet and Seungyeon always empowers me. And Hara and Nicole are always trustworthy so that's how I think we were able to bear through everything."

Nicole and Gyulee thanked fans for their trust and support while promising to work harder at their careers.

Had Han, Kang and Jung split from DSP, KARA's highly successful K-pop group's career in home and Japan would have been in jeopardy.

On top of being one of the most popular idols in Korea since making their debut in the country in 2007, they became the first foreign female group on the Oricon's 43-year history to top the prestigious chart in the first week of releasing a single with their third Japanese single "JET COASTER LOVE."

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Jessica Kim jesskim@