Actress Cha Ye-ryun. [Herald Muse DB]
Actress Cha Ye-ryun. [Herald Muse DB]

A former classmate has come forward claiming to have been repeatedly assaulted and bullied by a veteran actress during middle school, saying the abuse left her with a ruptured eardrum and that she continues to receive psychiatric treatment decades later. Actress Cha Ye-ryun's agency has officially denied the allegations, calling them groundless.

HB Entertainment, Cha's agency, said Friday it had seen the school violence-related post and that a review found the claims to be "completely groundless."

The post appeared Thursday on the online community forum Nate Pann, in which a person identified as A claimed to have suffered school violence at the hands of a fellow middle school classmate who later became an actress.

A identified the alleged perpetrator as actress B, said to be a graduate of Junggye Middle School in Nowon-gu, Seoul.

According to A, B repeatedly bullied and harassed the claimant throughout middle school — in classrooms, restrooms and on the playground.

A said B would hurl insults whenever they crossed paths at school, kick A's chair while walking by, and borrow gym clothes and textbooks without returning them. When A asked for the items back, B would respond with shouting and verbal abuse, A said.

"I was mostly slapped in the hallways of the building, and there were times when the assault ruptured my eardrum and left my cheek severely swollen," A wrote. "When she came to find me during breaks and told me to stay after school, I would be dragged to a building near the school and beaten."

A went on to say that "even now, decades later, I am receiving psychiatric treatment and taking medication for depression and anxiety."

A said it was painful to watch B — whom A described as the perpetrator of school violence — being loved by the public as a good wife, mother and actress known for cooking, while continuing to smile through television and YouTube appearances.

"I sincerely hope she steps down from all broadcast and YouTube activities, reflects genuinely and apologizes," A wrote. "Only then do I feel I might be able to live out the rest of my life in some semblance of normalcy."

A also warned that if B denied the allegations or claimed not to remember, testimony from former classmates and additional evidence would be made public.

Meanwhile, as the post spread online, some users cross-referenced details in the post — including the birth year and school mentioned — and identified Cha as the person described. Comments demanding an explanation subsequently appeared on Cha's personal channel, and Cha's agency issued an official denial of the school violence allegations.

Cha made her debut in the 2005 film "Whispering Corridors 4: Voice" and has since appeared in numerous drama series, including "Golden Rainbow," "Temptation," "Elegant Mother and Daughter" and "Golden Mask." Cha married actor Joo Sang-wook in 2017 and welcomed a daughter the following year.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com