Jung Chul-gyu. [YouTube channel 'Namu Mickey Heungsinso']
Jung Chul-gyu. [YouTube channel 'Namu Mickey Heungsinso']

Comedian Jung Chul-gyu has stepped forward to name specific individuals and clear them of suspicion after widespread speculation erupted online over the identity of a sunbae who he says assaulted and bullied him for six years.

A video of Jung appearing on "Mickey's Guesthouse," hosted by the YouTube channel "Mickey Gwangsu," was released Tuesday.

Jung first made the allegations on July 26 while appearing on the YouTube channel "Namu Mickey Heungsinso," saying a senior comedian had bullied him for six years. He described being beaten repeatedly inside a vehicle while buckled into the passenger seat, a revelation that shocked viewers.

Following that disclosure, the names of comedians Ryu Dam, Kim Jin-chul and No Woo-jin began circulating online as suspected perpetrators.

Jung moved to shut down the speculation. "That sunbae is not currently active in broadcasting or on YouTube," he said. "The names Ryu Dam, Kim Jin-chul and No Woo-jin keep coming up in the comments, but those three are not the perpetrators."

He elaborated on his relationship with each man. "There shouldn't be any more victims," Jung said. "I've barely ever had a conversation with Ryu Dam. Kim Jin-chul sunbae is a close friend I still see occasionally. And No Woo-jin is actually my junior and a friend."

Jung made his debut as a KBS special-recruit comedian in 2004 and gained wide popularity through his character "Blanka," a foreign laborer, on the KBS program "Poksso Club."

His July 26 disclosure about the bullying had already stunned the public. At the time, Jung described the assault in detail. "The sunbae told me to get in the car and sit in the passenger seat, then buckled my seatbelt. I thought we were going somewhere. He buckled it, turned off the engine, and then — the slapping started. Have you ever been slapped straight in the face? He hit me like this, and when you get hit that way, your nose and eyes take it at the same time — tears come out automatically and your nose goes red. I was getting hit again and again, 'bak, bak,' and one side hurt so much I turned my head away. But then our eyes met. 'What are you glaring at?' he said, cursing at me, and then hit me again with his left hand."


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com