Recent status of celebrities who have faced school violence controversies and are currently in self-reflection
Actor Ji Soo’s former agency, KeyEast, was ordered by the court on the 25th of last month to pay approximately 1.4 billion KRW in damages to a drama production company following the controversy surrounding Ji Soo’s involvement in school violence.
As this ruling became public, there has been growing interest in the recent status of celebrities who have faced school violence controversies and are currently in self-reflection.
◆ “14 Billion KRW Compensation”… Actor Ji Soo
Actor Ji Soo was playing the lead role of Ondal in the KBS2 Monday-Tuesday drama River Where the Moon Rises when he was accused of being a school violence perpetrator in March 2021. As a result, he was removed from the show.
At the time, several netizens took to the online community Nate Pann to reveal their experiences of being victims of school violence at the hands of Ji Soo. The allegations included shocking claims such as “He urinated in the classroom trash can,” “He slapped me on the subway during a field trip in middle school just because he was in a bad mood,” and “He made me take exams for him.”
Ji Soo later issued a handwritten apology, stating, “It was an unforgivable act. I sincerely apologize to everyone who was harmed.”
By then, River Where the Moon Rises had already completed filming 18 of its 20 episodes, and six episodes featuring Ji Soo had already aired. Due to the necessity of reshooting, the production company Victory Contents replaced Ji Soo with actor Na In-woo and reshot all episodes.
Victory Contents subsequently filed a lawsuit against Ji Soo’s former agency, KeyEast, seeking approximately 3 billion KRW in damages for the additional production costs incurred due to the lead actor’s replacement.
On the 25th of last month, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 31 ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff, ordering KeyEast to pay Victory Contents approximately 1.42 billion KRW plus delayed interest.
◆ Actress Song Ha-yoon’s Rise to Fame Cut Short by School Violence Allegations
Earlier this year, actress Song Ha-yoon gained significant attention for her role as the villain Jung Soo-min in the tvN drama Marry My Husband, which achieved a peak viewership rating of 12% according to Nielsen Korea.
Song Ha-yoon received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of the character’s spiteful nature, even outshining the drama’s lead actress, Park Min-young. However, her rise to stardom was abruptly halted by allegations of school violence.
In April, an informant identified as “A” claimed that Song Ha-yoon, who was her senior in high school, called her out for no reason and slapped her for 90 minutes. Despite Song Ha-yoon’s agency denying the allegations, additional testimonies from other alleged victims continued to surface.
One woman claimed, “I was beaten so badly by [Song Ha-yoon] that I received a medical diagnosis requiring over four weeks of recovery. Everyone knows she was forcibly transferred to another school afterward.”
Following the controversy, Song Ha-yoon has been unable to continue her entertainment activities, in stark contrast to her co-star Lee Yi-kyung, who also played a villain in the drama and continues to receive praise and actively participate in variety shows.
◆ Former LE SSERAFIM Member Kim Garam’s Career Stalled by School Violence Allegations
Kim Garam, who debuted as a member of LE SSERAFIM, the first girl group under HYBE, drew significant attention even before her debut due to her striking visuals in her profile photos.
However, her popularity was short-lived as she quickly became embroiled in a school violence controversy.
Reports emerged in online communities alleging that Kim Garam not only bullied multiple students at school but also engaged in underage smoking and drinking during her middle school years, causing the school violence scandal to escalate rapidly.
As a result, HYBE terminated its exclusive contract with Kim Garam in 2022, and she left LE SSERAFIM.
Despite the initial setback, LE SSERAFIM has continued to gain widespread popularity since their debut, while Kim Garam has largely disappeared from the public eye, with no updates on her recent activities.
Source: wikitree
