Korean publication stands firm despite Nam Joo-hyuk's agency suing them for defamation

Actor Nam Joo-hyuk might have landed himself in fresh trouble. The Korean publication, which filed a school bullying report against the Twenty-Five Twenty-One actor, has refused to back down or take down its original article despite the actor’s agency filing a lawsuit against them.

Recently, an anonymous netizen alleged that the actor bullied them in school, sending shockwaves amongst fans worldwide. The actor's agency, Management SOOP, swung into action and assured fans that they would look into the matter.

A couple of days later, they updated fans that they had filed a lawsuit against the Korean publication and the complainant. The CEO of the publication clarified that the anonymous tipper had witnessed the Start Up actor bullying school students for two years at school and wasn’t a victim of his bullying.

However, the CEO stated they are friends with the victim and shared that the victim is still traumatized by Nam Joo-hyuk’s bullying.

"We have no intention to take down the article. Nam Joo Hyuk's agency offered to dismiss the lawsuit if we released a corrected article but the informant's tip was coherent and detailed. We didn't get a feeling that it was certainly unfounded. There were a few hiccups in communications due to the tipper having ADHD but he said Nam Joo Hyuk made him buy the snacks, cut lines, and cussed him out. "

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Nam Joo-hyuk’s agency confirms taking legal action against the complainant

Nam Joo Hyuk’s agency has officially taken legal action against those spreading rumors about his school bullying. Earlier this week, Management SOOP released a statement firmly denying all allegations of school bullying against the actor.

On June 24, Management SOOP shared a new statement announcing that they had taken legal action against the informant, reporter, and publication that first published the claims. They also hoped for Nam Joo-hyuk’s tarnished reputation to be restored as soon as possible.

Hello. This is Management SOOP. Today, actor Nam Joo Hyuk filed criminal complaints for violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection and other related violations (defamation) against ‘The Days’ reporter Min, who wrote the false article, the CEO of that publication, as well as the anonymous source who tipped this false claim.

The agency's statement continued:

We sincerely hope that the truth is revealed through a quick investigation and that actor Nam Joo Hyuk’s tarnished honor is restored.

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What was Nam Joo-hyuk accused of?

On June 20, Nam Joo-hyuk was accused of school bullying by an anonymous tipper. The anonymous tipper, who claimed to have attended the same middle and high school as the actor, reported to a media outlet that they were a victim of school bullying by the actor for six years.

They shared a picture of their school yearbook as proof and claimed the actor was part of a clique that bullied other students. The anonymous complainant stated that the Start Up actor beat up classmates, cut lines, cursed them out, forcefully took their money, and more.

On June 20, Nam Joo Hyuk’s agency Management SOOP firmly denied the allegations:

“Regarding the report, we have confirmed that all allegations are false. In addition, we regret the unilateral report by the outlet which reported the story without making any attempt to fact-check it with us.”

The agency also stated that they will be taking strong legal action against the reporter and the anonymous source.