After Chuu of Loona was expelled from the girl group on Friday for alleged verbal abuse against staff, a spate of staff members and industry insiders have been coming to her defense.

Controversy also escalated among fans when Chuu's former bandmate HyunJin skipped a regular television show appearance shortly after she defended Chuu.

On Friday, Loona's agency Blockberry Creative announced via a statement that Chuu, whose real name is Kim Ji-woo, would be kicked out of the girl group. It added that Chuu had been verbally abusive and misusing her power [ gapjil in Korean] against the staff."

The screenwriter for Chuu's YouTube channel Chuu Can Do It wrote on her Instagram story on Friday that Blockberry's allegations against Chuu "misusing her power are ridiculous."

"Chuu was the kind of person who worried about other staff members getting paid properly, even in her difficult situation," she wrote. Chuu has been embroiled in legal disputes with the agency regarding payment since early this year. In March, a court ruled that her exclusive contract should be provisionally suspended. The singer has also alleged on multiple television shows that she did not receive any payment last year, which surprised many viewers because Chuu has appeared on numerous advertisements and TV programs. The news of her removal from the group further baffled the public, since Chuu is widely known for her bubbly and wholesome image.

Staff members who claim to have worked on the sets of Chuu's advertisements and TV shows posted online in her defense.

"Chuu always asked if the staff members were okay and gave us snacks to cheer us up," one of them wrote, claiming to have previously worked during the shoot for a jelly advertisement.

"I was so surprised by the news [of Chuu being expelled," wrote one claiming to be an employee of Job Korea, a job-searching website which filmed a collaborative episode with Chuu for a web entertainment show. "She was kind and well mannered."

Loona member HyunJin also defended her former bandmate on Friday. Shortly after the news broke, HyunJin wrote to fans via a private message service offered on the fan community platform Universe.

"My head hurts; I'm so heartbroken and angry," she wrote. "But the most heartbroken one right now is Chuu. Please give her a lot of support and love."

The controversy escalated on Sunday evening when HyunJin was absent on the MBC show "2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup Preview Show Catharsis," which she had been appearing on every evening since the 2022 World Cup started on Nov. 20.

Netizens are asking questions about why HyunJin was suddenly missing from a show she had been on every day, speculating if it had anything to do with her speaking out in support of Chuu. Blockberry shot down the speculations on Sunday.

"There was a schedule for Hyunjin that day, booked in advance," the agency said in a statement. "She will be back on the show next week."

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]