On the 25th of last month, a court ordered KeyEast, the former agency of actor Ji Soo, to pay a sum of approximately 1.4 billion KRW in damages to a drama production company due to the controversy surrounding Ji Soo’s involvement in school violence.
Since the release of this ruling, there has been an increasing curiosity surrounding the current situations of celebrities who have been involved in school violence controversies and are now engaging in self-reflection.
Actor Ji Soo Faces 14 Billion KRW Lawsuit for Compensation
Ji Soo, the lead actor of KBS2’s Monday-Tuesday drama River Where the Moon Rises, was removed from the show in March 2021 after being accused of being involved in school violence. He was playing the role of Ondal at the time.
Several netizens went to the online community Nate Pann to share their accounts of being victims of school violence by Ji Soo. The accusations ranged from disturbing claims such as “He used the classroom trash can as a urinal”and “He randomly slapped me on the subway during a middle school field trip because he was in a bad mood,”to “He coerced me into taking exams for him.”
Upon reflection, Ji Soo released a handwritten apology expressing deep remorse, acknowledging, “My actions were inexcusable. I extend my heartfelt apologies to those who were hurt.”
Despite having already filmed 18 out of 20 episodes and having aired six episodes featuring Ji Soo, the production company Victory Contents found it necessary to replace him due to the need for reshooting. Actor Na In-woo was chosen to take over the role and all episodes were reshot.
Afterwards, Victory Contents took legal action against KeyEast, the former agency of Ji Soo, in order to recover approximately 3 billion KRW for the extra expenses they had to bear for the replacement of the main actor.
Last month on the 25th, the Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, partially ordering KeyEast to pay Victory Contents an amount of approximately 1.42 billion KRW along with delayed interest.
◆ Actress Song Ha-yoon’s Troubled Past Threatens Her Success in the Spotlight
In the past year, actress Song Ha-yoon’s portrayal of the antagonist Jung Soo-min in the tvN drama Marry My Husband garnered considerable recognition. The show reached a maximum viewership rating of 12% as reported by Nielsen Korea.
Despite her portrayal of the character’s spiteful nature being widely acclaimed and even outshining the drama’s lead actress, Park Min-young, Song Ha-yoon’s rise to stardom was suddenly halted by allegations of school violence.
In April, an individual known as “A” came forward as an informant and alleged that Song Ha-yoon, who had been her senior in high school, had called her out without justification and proceeded to slap her for a duration of 90 minutes. Despite the denial of these accusations by Song Ha-yoon’s agency, more testimonies from other alleged victims emerged.
A woman stated, “I was subjected to severe physical abuse by [Song Ha-yoon], resulting in a medical diagnosis that required more than four weeks of recovery. It is common knowledge that she was subsequently transferred to a different school against her will.”
Despite the controversy, Song Ha-yoon has been unable to resume her entertainment activities, unlike her co-star Lee Yi-kyung, who also portrayed a villain in the drama and continues to receive acclaim while actively appearing on variety shows.
Former Band Member Kim Garam Accused of School Violence, Career Stalled
Kim Garam, who joined HYBE’s first girl group LE SSERAFIM, gained significant attention even before her debut for her stunning profile photos.
Nonetheless, her fame was brief as she soon found herself caught up in a scandal involving school violence.
According to reports in online communities, Kim Garam was accused of bullying several students at school and engaging in underage smoking and drinking during her middle school years. These allegations contributed to the rapid escalation of the school violence scandal.
Due to this, in 2022, HYBE decided to end their exclusive contract with Kim Garam and she subsequently parted ways with LE SSERAFIM.
Despite facing an initial setback, LE SSERAFIM has managed to maintain and even increase their popularity since their debut. In contrast, Kim Garam has largely disappeared from the public eye and there have been no updates on her recent activities.
The information was obtained from the website wikitree (https://www.wikitree.co.kr/articles/972483).
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