Nam Joo-hyuk's alleged underage drinking photo surfaces on the internet

Things don’t seem to be settling down for Nam Joo-hyuk as now pictures of him drinking with his friends while allegedly still underage has taken the internet by storm and become a hot topic of discussion in several online communities.

The image, which is a low-resolution screenshot of a computer, shows what is apparently a young Nam Joo-hyuk sitting at a table, with bottles of soju in front of him, thereby sparking speculations about drinking.

The screenshot suggests that the photo was posted online on the once popular blogging platform 'Cyworld' in September 2011.

---

What can be seen in the old photo of Nam Joo-hyuk?

There are four people in the picture. The only person out of the four in the image whose face can be made out clearly is an individual who is positioned second from the left.

Speculations are being made that the individual identified in the photograph is the actor Nam Joo-hyuk. The 28 year old actor, born in 1994 would have been seventeen years old in 2011, therefore prohibited by law from consuming alcohol.

The image also shows a number of green colored bottles placed on the table in front of the boys. It is believed that these bottles contain soju, a popular form of Korean alcohol. The photograph posted on 'Cyworld,' included a brief caption that read, "A shot of Joo Hyuk."

When asked to comment on the matter, Joo-hyuk's agency, Management SOOP, said:

“Right now, we are busy dealing with the school bullying accusations, and thus we cannot give a statement regarding this matter."

Nam Joo-hyuk has recently been the center of attention, but not for good reasons. The actor has had multiple allegations of bullying against him, raised by anonymous complainants who claim to be from the same school as him.

This image of alleged underage drinking may turn the tide against the actor amongst fans who are already divided on the matter

---

Nam Joo-Hyuk accused of bullying by two alleged victims

Recently, an anonymous individual came out and accused actor Nam Joo-hyuk of bullying him in high school. The allegations came as a massive shock to ardent fans of the popular star.

However, the matter was quickly controlled and fans were reassured of the actor's innocence by his agency, Management SOOP, which released an official statement and firmly denied all allegations. The agency also proceeded to file a criminal complaint for defamation against the accuser.

A week after the first accusation, a second person came out and claimed to be a victim of Nam Joo-Hyuk's school time bullying. The second complainant, who has also not disclosed his identity, provided intricate details of the bullying incidents, thereby making it more difficult for fans to identify loop-holes.

However, management SOOP rigidly maintained its stance and said that even after conducting a detailed investigation, they did not find any evidence of the said bullying by Nam Joo-Hyuk.

The new complaint divided fans of the actor, many of whom are questioning the veracity of his agency’s statement. While most fans still stand behind the actor and are defending him, a sizeable number now doubt his innocence.

---

How do the new allegations impact the K-drama star's image?

The surfacing of the alleged underage drinking picture has only made matters worse as it can be maintained that fence-sitters who have been neutral about it so far, will now be leaning more on the side of the alleged victims.

According to Allkpop, a netizen commented on the matter by saying:

"Judging by that photo, it doesn't really look like he was a 'quiet, reserved student who was only interested in basketball' like his agency said."

Some people analyzed the picture and took into consideration the culture of kids trying alcohol while still in school. They stated that while it is not uncommon to try alcohol whilst still underage, bragging about it online is done by students who believe they can get away with it.

If left unaddressed, these allegations of underage drinking could harm the reputation of the popular Twenty Five Twenty One star.