Korean actress Seo Shin-ae, best known for her role in the 20019 sitcom “High Kick Through the Roof,” has finally made a direct address to K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE member Soojin over the issue of bullying while they were in middle school.
Seo Shin-ae has been posting mysterious messages on Instagram every time Soojin addressed the bullying claims against her.
Soojin, now 23, and Seo Shin-ae, 22, both attended the Waw Middle School located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. Middle school in Korea is for 12 to 15 years old.
Seo Shin-ae was not the original accuser of the bullying claims against Soojin but the actress would take potshots at the K-pop star by posting indirect messages on Instagram. Netizens said the actress’ posts indicated that she was bullied by Soojin in middle school.
In February, Soojin personally denied the bullying claims against her and also wrote “I never had a conversation with actress Seo Shin-ae in school” in response to her Instagram posts.
Last March 19, Soojin wrote to clarify the bullying allegations against her including addressing Seo Shin-ae’s Instagram posts.
Soojin reiterated that she never had any conversation with the actress while they were in school and denied putting cigarettes on her desk or stealing her graduation letters.
"I neither bullied nor talked behind Seo's back. My management company contacted her agency, but it did not respond. I demand Seo clarify her stance on the issue," said Soojin, according to the Korea Times.
As a response, Seo Shin-ae directly answered Soojin’s demand and claimed that the singer bullied her in middle school.
In an Instagram post on March 26, Seo Shin-ae accused Soojin and her friends of talking behind her back and confirmed the singer’s post that they had never spoken with each other in school.
"Wherever I went, they laughed and cursed at me. They said they couldn't believe how an unattractive girl like me became a celebrity. Some of them even said I was a washed-up actress. All of that may have been just meaningless remarks for them, but I still feel the pain. I came to fear people and became more introverted. I learned from this experience that psychological violence can inflict severe damage on people," Seo Shin-ae posted.
The actress added, "A few weeks ago, she said she did not remember everything and that she had never spoken to me in the past. Yes, she is right ― all of those remarks were one-sided insults. But it is a pity to see her denying what she did to me behind my back."
Seo Shin-ae started as a child actress. Her last acting projects were the film “Mother” in 2017 and the Korean drama “Solomon’s Perjury” in 2016.