Nam Joo-hyuk – who has gotten praise for playing a warm-hearted character in 2022 K-drama Twenty-Five, Twenty-One – was accused of school bullying by a person claiming to have attended the same school as the actor.
A Korean media reported on Monday (June 20) that an anonymous source said that Nam was part of a group that bullied their classmates, and that the bullying went on for six years.
Later that day, Nam’s agency released a statement denying this allegation.
It further mentioned that it would be taking legal action against the person alleging this and the reporter who wrote the article.
The statement was released after the agency had checked with the actor and it had confirmed that the allegation is “not true in the slightest”.
The agency stated: “The actor and his family are the ones who will suffer the most due to this groundless and thoughtless allegation."
Expressing disappointment that the article was published without any fact checks with the agency or the actor, the agency is proceeding with legal action.
“... We will also respond strongly through punishment without leniency against malicious over-analysations and interpretations, actions that encourage this, and malicious posts and comments that go beyond mere expression of opinions.”
The statement ends with a request to “refrain from spreading groundless rumours or making speculative reports”.