In the Korean entertainment industry, “school violence allegations” about celebrities have never ceased popping up.
In the Korean entertainment industry, many celebrities, including actors, idols, and comedians, have been pointed out as perpetrators of school violence and have come under fire.
Some of them want to explain the controversy directly and resolve misunderstandings with the public, while others want to acknowledge the controversy and come back to the entertainment industry after a period of self-reflection. Both are followed by the public’s conflicting views.
Below are some examples of celebrities heavily accused of school violence.
On April 2, Song Ha-yoon, who starred in the hit K-drama “Marry My Husband”, admitted that she was forced to transfer schools due to a school violence incident.
Previously on April 1, an informant accused Song Ha-yoon of being in a gang and suffered from school violence under the actress’s hand. According to said informant, they were slapped by Song Ha-yoon for 90 minutes when they were in high school.
At first, Song Ha-yoon’s agency firmly denied the claim. However, as the controversy intensified, they changed their statement, admitting Song Ha-yoon’s forced transfer due to school violence.
At the same time, numerous anecdotes from Song Ha-yoon’s former schoolmates also surfaced, most of them condemning the actress.
On the other hand, singer Jin Dal-rae from “Miss Trot 2” personally apologized, acknowledging that she had committed school violence in the past.
She mentioned that she deeply regrets that her actions in the past, which were deeply wrong, and expressed her reflection again, saying, “I will live my life reflecting on myself with an apologetic heart.”
Previously, on January 30, 2021, suspicions of Jin Dal-rae’s school violence arose through an online community post.
Back in 2023, actor Jisoo revealed he had solved the misunderstanding with the victim of his school violence allegations. In March 2021, a post on an online community revealed that he had been bullied, assaulted, threatened, and abused at school by Jisoo when he was a middle school student. The actor later admitted he had done some unforgivable behaviors and he would reflect on his past. However, he denied all sexual violence allegations. After leaving KBS2’s drama “River Where the Moon Rises” in the midst of the controversy, the acyod filed a criminal complaint against the authors of false accusations. However, in January, the author was judged “no charge.” In the midst of this, Jisoo revealed that he had solved the misunderstanding with the victim after nine months. Even though his comeback is not confirmed, Jisoo seemed to gauge his return as he restarted his social account.
On October 25th, Seo Soo-jin, a former member of (G)I-DLE, hinted her return in earnest by uploading a performance video on her official YouTube channel. Seo Soo-jin was embroiled in allegations of school violence in February 2021. The singer later admitted she misbehaved during her school days, but stressed, “I’ve never assaulted that friend.”
However, Seo temporarily suspended her activities due to the additional revelations of actress Seo Shin-ae, who graduated from the same middle school as her.
Eventually, Seo Soo-jin withdrew from (G)I-DLE in August of the same year, half a year after the school violence controversy. In March of the following year, her contract with CUBE Entertainment was terminated. Seo Soo-jin also sued the victim but the conclusion of the police investigation was also “no charge.” Since then, Seo Soo-jin has disappeared from the entertainment industry.
The singer suddenly opened a social account in June and began communicating with fans, hinting at her return. In addition, she signed an exclusive contract with her new agency BRD Communications and was preparing for her solo debut.
In addition, actor Park Hye-soo is pushing ahead with her activities despite her controversy over school violence. In February 2021, an article about Park Hye-soo’s school violence appeared, and her agency dismissed it as “fake news to maliciously malign and slander” her. Park Hye-soo also revealed in a statement that she was in fact a victim of bullying, stressing, “I will not be swayed by all these actions.”
Park Hye-soo appeared in public in October last year after about a year and eight months in the press conference for her new movie “The Dream Songs.” In October this year, the netizen who raised suspicions of her school violence behavior was sent to the prosecution due to defamation charges, and further investigations are underway. In particular, Park Hye-soo also said in an interview conducted after the release of “The Dream Songs,” “The truth will surely come out.”
The public’s response to the recent status of the activities of the “school violence stars” is clearly divided. As their imagers have already been damaged by the controversies, some people believe that it will not be easy to remove the label of “school violence” from them. Of course, there may be unfair parts from the perspective of the parties. However, it should also be borne in mind that pushing ahead with activities at a time when the explanation of their school violence controversies has not been properly accepted may increase the public’s resistance.
