Did Ji Soo 'force' bullying victims to drop school? Actor's schoolmates say he kicked, slapped and punched them
School violence accusations against actor Ji Soo, famed for television series ‘Page Turner’ and ‘Strong Girl Bong Soon’, has been deepened with new accounts of the details of bullying that's unveiled. MBC’s investigative series 'True Story Expedition Team' went to talk to the middle school victims who have been bullied by the ‘Page Turner’ actor; a number of shocking details came to light as a result of that.
Speaking of actor Ji Soo’s bullying saga, one of his schoolmates alleged that Ji Soo demanded money from other students and often made them get him food from the cafeteria within a time limit, failing which he would beat up the student. An anonymous classmate shared, “He would call my cellphone and say to me, ‘You know you have to bring money tomorrow, right?’ It started small from 5,000 won (approx $4.4) to 10,000 won ($8.8), and the amount gradually went up to 100,000 won (approx $88.5). He was very malicious with his bullying. For quizzes or midterms, he made me take his tests for him.”
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Did Ji Soo force students to drop school?
Another classmate revealed that when the bullying was reported to the school authority, the officials rather suggested one classmate’s family shift to a different neighborhood to avoid sending kids to the same high school. A mother of a victim stated, "The teacher called me on the phone. They said, 'It would be a good idea for all of you to move, because Ji Soo might go to the same high school/class with your son'." A similar experience was shared by a classmate who said, “We did report him. But [the bullies] weren’t scared of the teachers. I think that was the biggest issue. They’d just bully a different kid, and then a different kid, and the pattern would continue.”
Another victim recalled more horrific details alleging, “He would kick me in the butt or thighs, strike me on the head, slap my face, or punch me in the chest or in the pit of the stomach. He gave me missions. For example, to get up during class and sing or dance. Basically, I was his jester. He sat in the back row in class, so he used me as a shield when he slept. If my posture was just a bit off, he hit me on the back of the head.”
The aftermath of the traumatic experiences that scarred not only the students but also their families made the mother of a victim share, “I don’t watch his dramas. It’s awful. Even now, he makes me shudder.”
School bullying and perpetuating violence was very systematic, explained two classmates of Ji Soo, who pointed out, “It was very systematic. There was a group of delinquents including Kim Ji Soo, and under them, they had the kids who carried out the action. If you went against them, you’d be ostracized by the whole grade or become subject to school violence.”
Another classmate varied in opinion who believes that Ji Soo is being targeted as another person, who is posing as a victim now, was also part of bullying but was later outcasted. The anonymous speaker said, “It’s true that Ji Soo was a perpetrator of school violence, and he admitted it himself. But the parts that aren’t true… I wanted to say that he should only be punished for what he really did.” Referring to the sexual violence allegations the person said, “From my memory, there’s no way he would have done that. If something like that had happened, my friends and classmates would have known about something that shocking.”
The classmate also added, “The kid who was the top bully in his first and second year suddenly became an outcast in his third year. He’s putting the blame on Kim Ji Soo for a lot of things that other kids did to him.”
The investigation team of MBC also visited his elementary school and spoke with a few classmates. One of them accused the actor of verbal abuse and mild sexual harassment sharing, “In elementary school, at first, I was only a victim of mild sexual harassment and verbal abuse, but it got more severe as time passed. I actually saw him masturbate in class.”
Ji Soo’s agency’s response
Ji Soo’s agency has once again clarified that ‘Bad Guys 2’ actor is meeting the victims personally to apologize to them and denied the sexual violence rumors. The agency’s statement said, “In addition to his official letter of apology, Ji Soo is resolving the issue by continuously apologizing and asking for forgiveness from the victims he has gotten in touch with.”
Ji Soo’s written response to the program
Ji Soo also addressed the accusations in a written note which said, “During my school days, I hung out with a group of delinquents and foolishly lived in the illusion that I had great power in my hands. However, claims that I ostracized classmates, forced them to buy things, made them take my tests, and sexually harassed or assaulted them are absolutely not true. If you give me the chance, I would like to genuinely apologize to those who were hurt by my actions.”
