Korean actor Ji Soo (Kim Ji Soo), 27, who is currently starring in “River Where the Moon Rises,” is facing more accusations of school violence including sexual misconduct that happened in middle and high schools prompting netizens to petition to remove him from the drama.
On Korean TV channel KBS viewers’ rights center, a petition was filed urging KBS to remove Ji Soo from “River Where the Moon Rises” due to the allegations.
As of writing, the petition has been signed by 5,500 Korean viewers. Under the rules, if a petition reaches 1,000 signatories in 30 days, the head of the department concerned is mandated to answer the petition.
“River Where the Moon Rises” is a 20-episode Monday-Tuesday Korean drama that premiered on Feb. 15. It aired its sixth episode on March 2.
On March 2, a former schoolmate of Ji Soo posted online to accuse the actor of school violence that he allegedly committed while they were studying at Sorabol Middle School in Seoul from 2006 to 2008.
The author claimed Ji Soo committed “evil deeds” in school and he was a member of an “iljin,” a Korean term meaning school gang.
He claimed that when one of the members of Ji Soo’s group got upset, everyone was going to be in trouble. He said he was beaten up, cursed at and trampled on.
Because of the bullying, he said he could not go anywhere including the hallways, bathrooms and cafeteria. When he accidentally met Ji Soo on the stairs, the actor would force him into a corner and listen to him swearing.
The author also claimed that Ji Soo would hit students with a BB gun. Ji Soo, he said, would sit in the back set of the bus, open the window, take out the BB gun and shoot at students, and giggle. He said there were more people who were abused by Ji Soo.
New accusations were also posted by other netizens. One claimed that Ji Soo filmed himself while having sexual intercourse with a student in middle school and showed the video to his friends. Others said he would beat up students for no reason.
KeyEast, Ji Soo’s agency, said that “we take this matter seriously and will make every effort to verify the facts.” It said it would like to listen to the opinions of the people who uploaded the allegations if they agree.