Actress Song Ha Yoon gets embroiled in bullying allegations.
On April 1, in the episode of JTBC's current affairs program Scandal Supervisor, an anonymous informant accused the actress of bullying. It was mentioned, that "S, who recently played a villain in a famous drama that ended [Marry My Husband], achieved her dream through the drama and said she would work hard in acting from now on."
However, shocking information came in, accusing the actress of being a bully during her school days, with the victim having suffered severe beatings and received no apology. The incident is alleged to have taken place in 2004 when the actress called the involved individual to a playground near a neighborhood apartment. The informant claimed to have gone to the same high school as the actor.
The informant stated during the conversation with Scandal Supervisor, "S and I had the relationship of senior and junior with S being in the 3rd year and I in the 2nd year of high school. One day, she suddenly called me and started hitting me as soon as I arrived. I don't know why I was hit, but I was slapped for about an hour and a half."
The victim did not reveal the actor's name, but the program Scandal Supervisor released a blurred photo of "an actress who left a deep impression on the audience with her villain role." With this hint, netizens have speculated the accused one to be Song Ha Yoon.
The informant conveyed that S couldn't be opposed because she had an influential boyfriend at school. S then got involved in another school violence incident and ended up transferring schools.
Subsequently, My Daily reported that a representative from the actress's agency stated, "It is true that Song Ha Yoon transferred schools due to a school violence-related case at Banpo High School." But the agency denies that the transfer has anything to do with the bullying accusations that have surfaced recently.
The informant currently resides in the United States and decided to expose the incident after seeing a video of her recently appearing on a variety show. A representative from Scandal Supervisor explained that the informant doesn't seek compensation but wants to know the reason for the assault and receive an apology.
The informant reportedly said that the actor became involved in a second incident of bullying, which resulted in her transfer to a different high school.
King Kong by Starship, Song Hayoon's agency, stated, "We are aware of the seriousness of this matter and after receiving the initial report, we contacted the informant to confirm the facts. Subsequently, we requested a meeting through messenger to know the exact truth, but the informant expressed refusal. Therefore, we requested a call, but did not receive a response."
They further stated, "After confirming the facts with the actress regarding the informant's claims, we found that the actress and the informant are strangers, and all the relevant information is not true," and added, "Due to the informant's unilateral claims, indiscriminate speculation and speculative reports are spreading. We earnestly request refraining from unconfirmed facts and speculative reporting."
On April 2, a representative from King Kong by Starship, Song Ha Yoon's agency released an official statement which is as follows:
Hello. This is King Kong by Starship.
Regarding the content broadcast on JTBC's Scandal Supervisor about our actress Song Ha Yoon and subsequent reports, we once again emphasize that all the mentioned content is not true.
We are considering all necessary measures, including verifying the facts and legal review through a law firm regarding this matter in the future, as well as civil and criminal actions against the informant and requesting broadcast prohibition measures against JTBC's Scandal Supervisor.
We kindly request [everyone] to refrain from reporting speculative reports based on unilateral claims of the informant and facts that have not been confirmed.
Thank you.