Streaming giant Netflix will maintain the name of embattled Korean director Ahn Gil-ho on the credits of the hit revenge drama “The Glory” despite his admission that he assaulted students when he was studying in the Philippines in 1996.
After initially denying the incident, Ahn Gil-ho made a complete turnaround and admitted what he did on March 12.
"The Glory" (Netflix)
"The Glory" director Ahn Gil-ho during the press conference for the drama on March 8 (Netflix)
"Nothing has been discussed about removing director Ahn Gil-ho's name from the credits of 'The Glory,'" Netflix told Korean media outlet CBS NoCut News on March 13.
“The Glory” tells the story of Moon Dong-eun (played by actress Song Hye-kyo), who was a victim of bullying in high school, taking revenge against the perpetrators.
Before the release of “The Glory” part 2 on March 10, a man posted on an online community of Koreans who live in the US.
“It happened in 1996 when I was studying abroad in the Philippines. Producer Ahn Gil-ho was a high school senior at a local school in the Philippines at the time, and we, who were assaulted, were middle school students at an international school,” the person said.
After the post spread, Ahn Gil-ho denied the allegations, saying, “There was no such thing.”
However, he changed his position and admitted the accusations through a statement issued by his lawyer of the firm Jipyong.
“We apologize for the delay from the initial report to the announcement. Director Ahn Gil-ho had a girlfriend who he started dating while studying in the Philippines in 1996, and when he heard that his girlfriend was teased at school, he instantly became emotional and hurt others,” the law firm stated on March 12.
Ahn Gil-ho said he “sincerely asks for forgiveness from those who have been hurt by this,” adding that if given the chance, he “would like to apologize to those who have been hurt in person or through a phone call. I apologize for causing a controversy over something bad.”
When the accusations first surfaced, Ahn Gil-hol denied it, saying, “There was no such thing.”
“At the time, our grade started to know PD Ahn Gil-ho when he started dating a girl from our class. I only knew that he was an older brother playing at another school, but I didn't know much else,” the man wrote.
He said, “My classmates made fun of my female classmate about a high school senior dating a second-year middle school student, and Ahn Gil-ho, who found out about it, called two of our classmates to represent us,” he added.
“He asked a senior in high school who went to the same international school to bring us, but when we refused several times, the senior in high school threatened us saying, ‘If I don't take you again this time, I'll die’ and took us to a deserted corner in a neighborhood close to outside the school,” he claimed.
“At that time, I was so nervous and afraid, I don't know exactly how many people there were, but there were about 10 or so brothers there, including PD Ahn Gil-ho. That's when we started getting beat up and asking who else was teasing. When we didn't answer, the beating continued, and in the middle PD Ahn Gil-ho laughed at us and told the others there, ‘Bring a knife. I'll stab you.’ He even made threats,” he claimed.
“By the time I got back to school, it had been a little over two hours. I remember the time precisely because I returned a little before the end of the after-school sports team training,” he said.
He further claimed, “After that, under PD Ahn Gil-ho's instructions, male students in my grade were often beaten by school seniors. Until then, he was just a hyung [older ‘brother’] who grew up with me since I was young, but after that, there were friends who were beaten for not having manners and for not greeting him properly,” he said.
“How can a person who did this be a drama producer who shamelessly deals with school violence? I don't know if it's true that the perpetrators don't remember over time,” he said.
“The Glory” part 2 premiered with success, getting the No. 1 position in 26 countries and territories as of March 11 for a total of 89 in the top 10 position.
It garnered the top spot in 35 countries and territories on March 12, according to streaming analytics website FlixPatrol.