Epik High's Tablo Reflects On How He Survived Cyberbullying, Addresses Disbandment Speculations

Tablo, leader of South Korea's prolific hip-hop group Epik High, survived what is perhaps the most turbulent period of his life by pouring his heart into his music.

Tablo, in an interview with Teen Vogue, revealed the effects of online hate, which he endured from 2010 to 2012 from an online forum called We Demand The Truth from Tablo or TaJinYo. The anti-fan group demanded that the musician should apologize for "exaggerating" his academic background. TaJinYo accused the "Rain Song" artist of faking his Standford University degree and IQ test score.

The group also allegedly took offense at Tablo's exemption from Korea's compulsory military service because of his Canadian citizenship.

Tablo said he became deeply concerned for his family's safety during those times. The issue received wide media coverage, which affected his mental health. It also aggravated his father's deteriorating health.

"The only silver lining I could imagine was that hopefully through this, there would at least be some awareness," Tablo told the outlet. "And once I proved myself as truthful and didn't succumb to this and kill myself, hopefully, people would see that it's possible to defeat this. But this was fake news before fake news. When you look back on it now, it was almost like a prediction of things to come [not just in Korea, but in the U.S., too]. Nothing has changed."

Eight people who were part of the hate campaign, including a 57-year-old Korean-American man who was the manager of the discussion group, were sentenced to jail or probation in 2012. The 41-year-old K-pop veteran said the sentencing brought him some amount of peace but the whole experience was very traumatic.

He also has a good piece of advice for people whose children face online bullying.

"Instead of telling [kids], 'Hey, you need to be more confident, you need to be stronger,' think about why they're not strong. Think about why they're having a difficult time loving themselves," he said.

Tablo addressed his traumatic experience in the group's latest album, "Epik High Is Here: Part 2," particularly in the track, "Family Portrait."

Tablo also confirmed that Epik High, which has been in the industry for 20 years, is not disbanding. However, he said he is not sure whether they will continue to release new albums as a group.

"Tukutz has always said 10 studio albums is a good body of work and anything beyond that seems like you're overstaying your welcome, and for the first time in my life, I agree," Tablo told Teen Vogue. "At the moment, I don't see an 11th or 12th album as something necessary."