Korean actor Ji Soo responds to bullying allegations after two years
Strong Girl Bong-soon star Ji Soo has finally spoken up about his bullying scandal for the first time in two years.
In an interview with Sports Chosun, Ji Soo denied the allegations against him, saying that he was “treated like a stranger” by his schoolmates.
“I went to a middle school that was a bit far from my house. When I was in seventh grade, I was treated like a stranger,” he told the outlet.
The actor also shared that he once defended a friend who was bullied by a group of students. However, he got beaten up by the same students for doing so. He said he became friends with the bullies later on after they apologized to him and made amends.
Ji Soo then asserted that he “did not bully or assault anyone.”
“At that time, I also did have some bad feelings towards them, but I thought it would help make my school life more comfortable. I was close with them, but I did not bully or assault anyone,” he added.
Ji Soo also addressed the accusations against him about school violence, saying that he was wrongly accused of isolating another student.
“[Student ‘A’] thought I isolated him from the other students because I was close with ‘B,’ a student who was involved in the gift certificate theft. It’s true I was close to ‘B’ at that time. So I think ‘A’ thought I was involved in the incident,” he stated.
Meanwhile, “A” told Sports Chosun that he and Ji Soo are now on good terms.
“We have made up well with each other and now we are cheering for each other. I hope Ji Soo does well again,” “A” said.
Ji Soo was accused of bullying in March 2021 which led to the termination of his contract with KeyEast Entertainment.
He also had to drop out of the show River Where the Moon Rises which began airing in Feb. 2021 because of the allegations. He then announced that he enlisted in the military in October of that year.
“I had to apologize quickly and drop out of the show. My military enlistment notice was already sent, so I could not explain myself properly and I just joined the military,” the actor shared.