Korean actors and K-pop stars entangled in more school violence allegations

▲ An illustration of school violence

 

SEOUL, Feb.22 (Yonhap) -- Recent bullying scandals that surfaced in the sports industry has also begun spreading within the entertainment industry as numerous celebrities are being accused of school violence.  

 

Although there are false accusations for school violence towards celebrities, it is often difficult for them to recover their status after being suspected as the perpetrators.  

 

After the controversy over the popular volleyball twin sisters, Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong bullying their teammates, actor Jo Byung-gyu, Kim Dong-hee, and Soo-jin, a member of a popular K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE, have all been accused of causing school violence.

 

In particular, controversy regarding actor Jo Byeong-gyu and (G)I-DLE member Soo-jin have not subsided easily. Both the actor and the K-pop star have denied the allegation of school violence several times and announced legal action will be taken place. However, as people who claim to be the victims continuously appear, more attention is being placed on the controversy.

 

Additionally, there has recently been a surge in postings on online community sites such as 'Nate Pann' where people state certain actors or singers to be the perpetrators of school violence by writing their real names or initials. While some people briefly write the rumors they've heard, there are others who state the specific time and place the violence occurred.

 

The biggest cause behind the series of allegations against celebrities can be traced back to the use of social media.  

 

In a phone interview with Yonhap, Kwak Geum-joo, a psychology professor at Seoul National University stated that, "In a society where social media is frequently used, information is easily shared and spread quickly. Since a variety of news can be found about famous celebrities and athletes with the click of a button, it is easier for victims to recall pain and for people to expose stories about celebrities as well."

 

"This kind of phenomenon is closely resembles the priming effect since victims who experienced abuse can recall their past after seeing other people's posts. It makes their memories vivid again when reading about similar incidents that people have posted.

 

Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture critic, also mentioned that "Like the Me Too movement, recent allegations of school violence has opened an opportunity for victims to reveal their past experience with abuse from their classmates. The development of communication platforms also play a big role in bringing attention to these problems."

 

While professor Kwak states that this could be an opportunity to raise awareness of school violence and how perpetrators will be held for serious punishment, pop culture critic Jung points out that it is worrisome that victims are created just by raising suspicions.

 

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