An alleged victim has come out to accuse Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk, star of the drama “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” of bullying him during their high school days.
On June 28, Korean media outlet Sports Kyunghyang published an exclusive report about its interview with person “A,” who claimed he went to Suil High School with Nam Joo-hyuk, giving specific details about the alleged bullying incidents.
Last week, an informant told The Days media outlet about Nam Joo-hyuk’s alleged bullying. Management Soop, the actor’s agency, denied the allegations and sued the informant and the reporter who wrote the story.
This time, the alleged victim said, "When I was in high school, Nam Joo-hyuk used to bully me with a group. I forgot about the pains, but when I saw Nam Joo Hyuk in a movie, the wound opened up again," according to SBS News.
"Nam Joo Hyuk always made me turn on my smartphone hotspot and took my phone without my permission to use it. He used my phone to buy game items. Since my parents pay the bill, I asked him to pay me back for the money he used on my phone. But he said, 'Why do I need to?' I never got that money back," he added.
He also accused the actor of hitting him who described it as a sparring session.
"When I refused to do something that Nam Joo-hyuk's group asked, they would make a ring in the middle of a classroom and made me fight another classmate of their choosing," he said.
He added that he became the actor’s “bread shuttle,” or someone who runs errands.
"Nam Joo Hyuk would say, 'If you get me a snack in three minutes, you don't need to be my shuttle anymore.' So, I would run to the store and come back. But Nam Joo Hyuk said I have to keep being a shuttle because I took more than three minutes to get there."
The alleged victim said he decided to come out after Nam Joo-hyuk denied last week’s accusations and filed a complaint against his friend.
“But when I saw the news reports that Nam Joo Hyuk denied the accusations and sued my friend, I decided to step up as well. I want Nam Joo Hyuk to admit his past wrongdoings and stop his activities. It's really painful every time I see him (on TV)," he said.
Management Soop again denied the allegations, saying, "We have checked on the informant's claim, and all the claims are groundless."