On July 5, media outlet Dispatch released a bombshell exposè looking into the bullying allegations made against actor Nam Joo Hyuk by his alleged former classmates.
The report released by Dispatch includes interviews the media outlet conducted with 18 of the actor’s former classmates, as well as two of his teachers.
In the report, Dispatch methodically dissected each allegation with the actor’s former schoolmates and teachers.
All but one student denied the allegation that he was a bully. The one exception stated he considered himself a bully alongside the actor, but his testimony was quickly refuted by ten other students.
There was no culture of bullying at the school. It was a school where the person bullying would be treated like the weird one if they tried to create an atmosphere of bullying.
The alumni are asking that we step up and cooperate with the police investigation.
— Alumni Y1
Seo Seok Hoon, a 10th-grade classmate of the actor, spoke openly on record, and he denied the allegations.
I’m saying this because they really didn’t know what the school was like.
There may have been a group of people that thought a certain group at school were bullies.
Nam Joo Hyuk was not part of that group.
— Seo Seok Hoon, 10th-grade classmate
All other allegations were unanimously denied by the actor’s former classmates. Nam Joo Hyuk’s former teachers also vouched for their former pupil on record.
I’ll put my pride as a teacher on the line. Back then, it was a time of corporal punishment, and even the female teachers had a rod used for punishment. Mothers would even create their own rods for punishment and give them to the teachers under the guise of hitting students to turn them into people. When I was teaching then, there was no such thing as school violence.
Please include these words in the article.
I saw a comment that this just doesn’t feel right for some reason. I felt the same way. Nam Joo Hyuk was a positive and enterprising child. He had a sense of justice. I liked that, but there were also times I did have to scold him. But there weren’t any kids who didn’t like Nam Joo Hyuk. He is not a bully. Feel free to include my testimony. That is how confident I am.
— Park Tae Gyu, 10th-grade homeroom teacher
Nam Joo Hyuk? I remember him being nice and kind-hearted. He didn’t stand out too much… he was an active student in the proper way. I remember him being one of the cool male students that I taught. He helped his friends well. He wasn’t the best at studying, but he was a student who received a lot of compliments about his character and personality.
Don’t judge a person’s life by a one-sided story.
If there was a downside to him, it was that he was late a lot. Each time that happened, the teachers would make him do the squat walk as punishment, but he never felt that it was unfair or disobeyed and followed instructions well. What kind of bully does that? I’m angry at the spread of maliciously false information. It’s right to take responsibility if you do something wrong, but it’s wrong to attempt to bury someone with false information.
— Hong Seong Man, 12th-grade homeroom teacher
The report seemingly vindicates the actor from bullying allegations. Netizens huddled over to a viral post on an online community to comment on the report and its findings.
Man of the netizens argued the fact that the actor’s former homeroom teacher denied it should quell the rumors for good.
- “His former schoolmates is one thing, but his teachers denying the allegations makes this a closed case. They should know what was going on in their classroom, especially as he probably stuck out due to his height.”
- “The fact his teachers stepped up means this is over. But I’m curious, why did they make the false allegations even if they knew they were going to be sued.”
Some netizens found it adorable that the actor wasn’t the most studious in his class.
- “The fact he wasn’t good at his studies and that he was late often LOL ㅠㅠ (as in adorable).”
- “The fact that he had to do to duck-walk (squats), and the fact he never protested and did as he was told is so perfect LOL ㅠㅠ.”
- “To give credence to their testimony, the teachers revealed what he did wrong as a student, and even that was so minuscule it was cute LOL.”
Other netizens complimented the actor, based fully on the testimonies of his former schoolmates and teachers.
- “Nam Joo Hyuk is going to be even bigger after this ㅠㅠ. I hope he isn’t traumatized…”
- “Nam Joo Hyuk lived his life well… Til now, I don’t think anyone defended a (celebrities’) bullying allegations. The fact even his teacher stepped up proves he is a good guy.”
- “I think Nam Joo Hyuk lived life really well. Do you think anyone would step up for you and put their reputation on the line? A teacher is stating he is putting his career on the line for him.”
What are your thoughts? In your opinion, does the report fully vindicate the actor?
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