Bullying accusations against South Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk. Why it's a serious issue
South Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk accused of bullying as a teenager. Photo: skawngur/Instagram
Popular South Korean actor and model, Nam Joo-hyuk, is facing accusations of bullying from alleged victims from his high school. The actor’s agency has denied all the allegations. However, netizens are still debating whether the accusations are true or not after a second alleged victim also came forward with allegations.
Nam Joo-hyuk has not reacted to the scandal personally so far. The actor is currently enjoying a boost to his fame after the success of his recent K-Dramas Start-Up and Twenty-Five, Twenty-One. He’s also in talks for his next K-Drama project Vigilante.
What has happened so far:
June 18, 2022: The first alleged victim tells The Days News, a tabloid publication in South Korea, that actor Nam Joo-hyuk had bullied him for 6 years during their time together in middle and high school. The victim claimed that Nam Joo-hyuk and his group would beat up classmates, curse at them, steal their money etc. The victim remains anonymous.
June 20, 2022: Nam Joo-hyuk’s agency SOOP Entertainment releases a response denying the allegations. SOOP Entertainment says that they checked the claims and found that none of the allegations made were true at all. They have also sued the media publication and the reporter who wrote the story and the unnamed source.
Following the lawsuit, the original report and the claims have changed. According to the updated report, the source who spilled the beans is a friend of the victim and had only witnessed the bullying incident and was not personally affected by any of it. The updated report also said that the victim was bullied for two years and not six, as reported earlier.
June 28, 2022: A second victim comes forward with bullying accusations against the actor to another news outlet. The victim claims that the actor and his group would force him to turn on his mobile hotspot, buy games on his phone without paying for them, force classmates into physical fights etc.
SOOP Entertainment has also denied the allegations while speaking to a media outlet, calling them ‘groundless’.
Amidst the ongoing controversy, Nam Joo-hyuk's behind-the-scenes comment to Start-Up co-star Bae Suzy is also being scrutinised. In the clip, Nam Joo-hyuk is heard asking Bae Suzy what she ate after ending a kiss scene, joking whether she had Samhap, a pungent-smelling dish. Netizens are wondering whether the actor was being unnecessarily rude to his co-star.
Bullying and celebrities in South Korea: Bullying scandals such as this against celebrities in South Korea are not new. There have been numerous such accusations against sports stars, actors and K-pop idols in the past, some of which essentially ended the careers of the alleged perpetrators.
List of South Korean celebrities accused of bullying in recent times:
1. Actor Kim Ji Soo or Ji Soo was dropped from an ongoing popular K-Drama River Where the Moon Rises in 2021 after multiple people accused him of bullying and even sexual harassment in school. The actor also issued a public apology for his past actions.
2. K-Pop idol Hyunjin of Stray Kids retreated from social media after facing bullying accusations during school time. However, he has not acknowledged the claims.
3. K-Pop stars Soojin of girl band (G)I-dle and Chorong of Apink also took a break from social media following bullying allegations.
4. Actor Park Hye-soo had her K-Drama postponed due to allegations of bullying. However, she denied the claims, saying that she herself was a victim of bullying in school.
5. Twin stars of the South Korean women’s volleyball team Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong, were also accused of threatening teammates as teenagers. The blowback was so harsh that they were dropped from one of the oldest and most popular volleyball groups in South Korea for the Tokyo Olympics.
The list is endless. However, bullying allegations against celebs are not only levelled by their former school classmates. The K-Pop girl band AOA was shaken after member, Mina accused another member Jimin of bullying her.
Why is bullying such a serious issue in South Korea? Bullying accusations can end the careers of even the most popular celebrities in South Korea. The Washington Post calls it, a #MeToo-like movement against bullying.
Bullying is a major concern in South Korea. According to a 2020 report cited by NBC News, suicide has been the biggest cause of death among adolescents for 8 consecutive years in South Korea. School violence and bullying are understood to be leading causes of suicide.
Some reports also cite South Korea’s extremely competitive academic environment and the pressure it puts on children as part of the reason for heightened violence in school. Schools are also accused of ignoring bullying incidents and blaming victims.
Victims are known to either be driven to death or face PTSD later in their lives.
Several K-Dramas also highlights the academic pressure in South Korean schools and the bullying that usually takes place. The acclaimed drama Sky Castle solely focuses on this issue.
The Discrepancies: However, not all bullying allegations against celebs can be said to be true. More often than not, victims raise the accusations through the veil of online anonymity, making it hard to validate the facts. In the case of The Uncanny Counter actor Jo Byeong-gyu, the accuser withdrew the accusations and apologised for making the false claims.