“The Uncanny Counter” Actor Jo Byung Kyu Accused Of Bullying Former Classmate
Actor Jo Byung Kyu is the latest celebrity to be accused of bullying.
On February 16th, a netizen stepped forward and shared a story onto an online community about an alleged bullying incident involving the The Uncanny Counter actor. The victim shared that he had met the actor in New Zealand, where they both attended the same high school. This is where the situation unfolded.
When I was 16, I went to New Zealand to study English. I attended school quietly for about a week. One day, I saw a classmate that I had never seen before and it happened to be Jo Byung Kyu. On that day, I was trying to leave my classroom, but he stopped me to talk. His pants were very tight and his hair was dyed. The way he was speaking to me made it evident that he was trying to pick a fight. His attitude put me in a bad mood so I didn’t respond and just left. I think my response made him angry.
— Alleged victim
The victim continued his story by sharing the specific bullying incident in question.
The same day at lunch time, my schedule got messed up so I had to eat lunch alone. Out of nowhere, two Korean kids with bad vibes approached me and told me to follow them. I didn’t think much of it and did as instructed. As I was following them, about 30 people suddenly surrounded me and started to curse at me. I got so angry that I took my problem to the Korean International Student Office. I told them what had happened. My parents found out as did my homestay mother. They called Jo Byung Kyu and I separately, and were forced to talk about it.
— Alleged victim
He further shared how the actor responded to the confrontation.
Jo Byung Kyu had a terrible attitude and was rude, even to the office manager. They told us to avoid these troubles in the future and to attend school by following all the regulations. After hearing of the situation, my homestay mom contacted my parents in Korea to inform them. They must have been so worried.
— Alleged victim
To conclude the letter, the alleged victim revealed their desire to receive an official apology from Jo Byung Kyu.
To conclude, Jo Byung Kyu did not use any physical violence. He only abused me verbally. The purpose of this letter is to have him acknowledge his wrongdoings and apologize to me sincerely.
The alleged bullying victim followed the letter with a photo of their supposed proof. They uploaded a picture of a KakaoTalk chatroom that shows a conversation about the actor, as well as Westlake Boys High School memorabilia. Westlake Boys High School is the school that both Jo Byung Kyu and the victim supposedly attended together.
Netizens have been showing conflicting opinions after this post went public online. Some netizens were quick to side with the victim, asking for an explanation from Jo Byung Kyu, while others claim that there is still not enough evidence.
This is not the first time that Jo Byung Kyu has had bullying allegations against him. Back in 2018, the actor was accused of being a perpetrator of school violence. He was accused of swearing, spitting, and rating female classmates’ looks in school. He addressed the allegations on his official fan site, but no apology or admittance was given.
While Jo Byung Kyu has been in numerous dramas before, he started to see a huge influx in fame after his appearance in the hit JTBC drama, Sky Castle. The actor has since been in numerous other popular productions, such as Arthdral Chronicles, Hot Stove League, and his most recent hit production, The Uncanny Counter. Some netizens believe that these accusations are only being revealed due to his sudden popularity.
The actor has yet to make a comment on the developing situation so stay tuned for further updates.
