The graduation photo of Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk has surfaced online after he was swept up in a bullying issue, which he completely denied.
Last June 20, Korean media outlet The Days published an exclusive report quoting a supposed schoolmate who accused Nam Joo-hyuk of bullying while he was in middle and high schools.
Nam Joo-hyuk, now 28, attended Changyong Middle School and Suil High School, both located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
In the news report, the person claimed that he was subjected to school bullying for six years in middle and high schools.
He alleged that Nam Joo-hyuk was a member of an “iljin,” or Korean school gang.
According to him, he went to school with Nam Joo-hyuk for about two years and he was not the only one who was bullied by his group.
He claimed the group shoved and cut lines during lunch time and swearing and beating were a daily occurrence, and the so-called “bread shuttle,” or asking students to bring bread from a store, took place frequently.
The accuser also claimed that mechanical pencil leds were thrown at him and his chair was pulled out before he sat down.
He claimed that other schoolmates who suffered more than him avoid watching TV and are receiving psychiatric treatment.
As a response, Management Soop, the actor’s agency, issued a statement and said that after checking with Nam Joo-hyuk, it was confirmed that all the contents of the new article were not true.
"Since the false report has severely damaged the actor’s reputation, we are planning to promptly require the Press Arbitration Commission to order The Days to correct its report,” the agency said, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
It added, “We will also file a criminal lawsuit against the reporter of the news outlet who broke the story and the anonymous accuser. We are currently in the process of seeking legal advice from our legal firm.”
It warned that it will take legal actions against unconfirmed posts on social media and YouTube.
In a Korean online community, Nam Joo-hyuk’s graduation photo was posted. The photo showed him wearing a school uniform.
He started as a runway model in 2013 before appearing in the music videos of Akdong Musician and in the TV series “The Idle Mermaid” in 2014. This year, he starred in the Korean drama "Twenty-Five Twenty-One."
Korean netizens have reacted to his bullying controversy. Here are some of the top comments in an article, according to Netizen Buzz:
- “I won't be seeing you to the door.. farewell”
- “Nam Joo Hyuk was transferred in his third year of middle school so the victim had to have transferred with him for the six years of bullying to add up?? Anyway, I'm staying neutral for now”
- “He's one of Seungri's most representative friends”
- “I'm all for penalizing school bullies but Nam Joo Hyuk went to middle school in Busan and transferred to Suwon when he was 16. So to claim that you were bullied by him for six years? How were you bullied? Through Bluetooth?”
- “I looked it up and Nam Joo Hyuk did indeed transfer middle schools to Suwon in his third year and graduated high school there so how is it possible for someone to be bullied all six years?”
- “I always knew there was something off about him when he said he was friends with ji Soo”
- “He went to middle school in Busan and high school in Suwon so to claim six years of bullying... unless the entire group of you transferred together?? Seems like more investigation is needed...”