Actor Cha Ye-ryun. [Yonhap]
Actor Cha Ye-ryun. [Yonhap]

An ex-caddie has come forward with claims that actor Cha Ye-ryun, 41, behaved rudely at a golf course in the past, adding to the school violence allegations that have recently surfaced against Cha. The facts of the account have not been verified.

A video titled "Cha Ye-ryun's counter-expose post deleted, comments blocked" was published Tuesday on the YouTube channel "Baek Eun-young's Golden Time." Baek Eun-young, a former entertainment reporter who runs the channel, presented the additional account, which alleged that Cha — already embroiled in school violence allegations — had treated a caddie with irritation and contempt during a past round of golf.

The post was written Friday, the day after the school violence allegations against Cha first appeared online.

The author, identified only as A, claimed to have caddied for a group that included Cha around 2012 or 2013.

A said Cha had been dismissive and irritable at the time, but that the demeanor changed abruptly when Cha received a phone call from someone believed to be an acquaintance.

According to A, after taking the call Cha suddenly shifted to a polite tone, saying, "Oh, Director. I'm out playing golf. Of course I'll come if you call me."

Baek cautioned, however, that "the facts of the post have not been confirmed" and that it "could be a one-sided claim by someone who says they were a former caddie, or it could be false."

The controversy began Thursday, when a post appeared on an online community forum claiming the author had been bullied by Cha during middle school — alleging assaults and harassment in classrooms, bathrooms and on playgrounds, as well as a gym uniform that was borrowed and never returned.

Cha's representatives responded with an official statement calling the claims "groundless."

The controversy has not died down, however, as comments demanding an explanation or criticizing Cha over the school violence allegations have continued to appear on the SNS account of her husband, actor Ju Sang-wook.

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


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com