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Song Hye-kyo plays Dong-eun, a revenge-driven woman who survived horrific abuse in high school in “Glory” (Netflix) |
Although celebrities who have been accused of school bullying do not have to face fatal consequences as shown in Netflix’s revenge-soaked hit series, “Glory” their past actions are still considered unforgivable.
Former K-pop boy band BLACK6IX member Kim Hyun-jae has retired from JTBC’s latest audition project, “Peak Time,” which features already-debut artists who fail to build a successful career and gives them a second chance to become a top K-pop idol.
Local radio station JTBC announced on Monday that Kim will be withdrawing from the show as the case involving the alleged harassment is likely to be resolved soon, the artist and the alleged claims are disjointed.
Kim has denied all the bullying allegations against him and said he will take legal action against those who spread false information and drag him down.
Trot singer Hwang Young-woong, who starred in the MBN music channel’s competition, “The Hot Trotmen” dropped out of the show before the final round as bullying and violence allegedly escalated against him.
The 28-year-old singer wrote an online post apologizing for past actions and sincerely asking for forgiveness on his Instagram account on March 3.
Dominating viewer votes, Hwang was considered a possible winner before controversy erupted in late February.
Kim Da-young, an active actor and contestant in the Netflix reality series, “Scientist 100,” has been accused of physically assaulting his ex-partner and extorting money from them.
Apologizing to the production staff of “Physical C” to her viewers and those who were hurt, Kim admitted that she was a bull 14 years ago. But she denied the robbery and the violence.
“In TV dramas like ‘Glory’ – which portray physical altercations in schools in a more serious tone – they get huge attention, projects are certainly highlighted in public awareness that school violence and harassment are inexcusable,” culture critic Kong Hee-jung. he said.
“Celebrities, actors and aspiring singers are probably frightened by the recent incidents, considering in the past, as revelations of school violence by TV stars critically hurt their careers,” Kong added.
While many believe that online revelations of school violence appear to be the revenge of the victims against the perpetrators, Kwak Geum-ju, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University, believes that the disturbing allegations have a greater meaning.
“Victims, in most cases, did not know the seriousness of their situation in relation to past school bullying. Many people who suffer from such tragedies also feel that the reasons for school violence lie with them. “After watching a series of books and TV dramas, they realize how cruel and brutal their past experiences were,” Kwak told the Korea Herald Wednesday.
“So disturbing the acquaintances, the unknown secrets, in many cases it became the remedy of the victims. They achieve great power after noticing that more people than their beliefs support and hire stories,” explains the professor.
“Glory” revolves around Moon Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo), a victim of school violence who seeks her revenge against past bullies after 17 years.
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“Glory” (Netflix) |
The series, the second part of which was released on March 10, is Netflix’s weekly watch list for non-Latin TV shows as of Wednesday, according to the global streamer.
While winning, the eight-part thriller was watched in 23 countries — including South Korea, Brazil, Hong Kong, New Zealand and more — and was watched by a total of 124.46 million hours from March 6-12. series director Ahn Gil-ho was accused of bullying at school on April 10. Ahn later admitted to the school’s bullying and apologized to the victims in a statement from his attorney on March 12.
By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)
