Actress Cha Ye-ryun [Yonhap]
Actress Cha Ye-ryun [Yonhap]

Actress Cha Ye-ryun's agency has flatly denied allegations that she committed school violence during her school years, calling them "groundless," but conflicting accounts from people claiming to be former classmates continue to fuel the dispute online. The controversy has also spilled over to the SNS account of Cha's husband, actor Ju Sang-wook, 48, where users have been posting comments demanding a response.

According to entertainment industry sources and online communities Monday, the allegations surfaced Thursday when a post titled "Please stop working, actress born in 1985 who committed school violence" appeared on an online forum.

The author of the post, identified only as A, claimed to have suffered repeated bullying and physical assault at the hands of an actress who attended Junggye Middle School in Seoul.

A wrote that the abuse took place in classrooms, bathrooms and hallways, and that after school A was dragged to a nearby building where members of a delinquent group slapped A hard enough to rupture an eardrum and cause facial swelling. A also said the actress borrowed gym clothes and never returned them, and hurled insults whenever the two crossed paths. "Every time I see her portrayed as a good mother and good wife with a wholesome image on TV or YouTube, I feel immense pain," A wrote.

The post did not name the actress, but online users identified Cha based on clues including her birth year of 1985 and the middle school mentioned. In response, Cha's agency, HB Entertainment, issued an immediate statement saying the school violence allegations were "completely groundless."

Despite the denial, conflicting testimonies from users claiming to be former classmates have kept the controversy alive in the comments section of the original post.

One user who identified as a classmate said they had not personally witnessed any bullying, but claimed Cha had been one of five members of a delinquent clique who smoked, intimidated other students and freely took gym clothes and textbooks, making classmates afraid.

Another user added weight to the allegations, saying Cha should "acknowledge the past behavior and apologize to the victims."

However, a different user who also claimed to be a classmate pushed back, saying that while Cha had attracted rumors and some students disliked her because of her striking appearance, "she was never someone who hit people or persistently bullied others."

Other users argued that the school had strict discipline at the time and that Cha, who was already working as a model, would not have been in a position to join a violent group.

As the dispute continued, Ju's SNS account drew a stream of comments asking for a response, with users writing things such as "Didn't she hide her past perfectly?", "I feel sorry for Sang-wook too" and "Were you deceived into this marriage?"

Cha and Ju married in 2017 and welcomed a daughter the following year.

The original post and the comments from those claiming to be former classmates have not been officially verified — the identities of the authors, whether they actually graduated from the school, and the specific facts they allege remain unconfirmed.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com