K-Drama Actress Jeon Jong-seo Refutes Accusations That She Was a School Bully

With the internet, no one is really safe from things they committed in the past.

After stars rise to fame, many people come forward claiming this star did this or did that. Sometimes, these accusations are regarding incidents that happened years ago.

In 2022, Squid Game actor Oh Young-soo was indicted with detention by the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office on the charges of indecent assault.

Oh Young-soo was found guilty of sexual misconduct on 15 March 2024 for touching a woman inappropriately in 2017.

While some of these claims may hold truth, there are still some that are completely false.

In 2017, BLACKPINK member Jennie Kim was accused of bullying classmates in New Zealand and being an underage drinker. However, a former classmate proved all claims false, stating “Jennie Kim was a kind and bright student”. Some netizens then accused the original accuser of being the bully instead.

Perhaps such accusers want their five minutes of fame or are jealous of the stars and want to see them fail.

Whatever the reason, these false accusations are the reason we have to take internet claims with a pinch of salt until they’re confirmed by the relevant authorities.

K-Drama Actress Jeon Jong-seo Accused Of Being A School Bully

Jeon Jong-seo, or Rachel Jun, is a South Korean actress.

She first came into the spotlight with the role of Hae-mi in the 2018 acclaimed South Korean thriller Burning and has won Best Actress at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance in the thriller The Call (2020).

She is also well-known for her roles as Mona in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021) as well as Tokyo in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (2022).

The 29-year-old actress has been nominated for 23 awards, five of which she has won.

On 3 April 2024, an anonymous post was uploaded on South Korean workplace community app Blind, accusing Jeon of being a bully when she was in middle school.

The author of the post claimed Jeon would “frequently steal or snatch away other kids’ gym clothes and uniforms”.

“Once, when I refused to give her my uniform, she cursed at me every time she saw me at school. I would run away and hide in the bathroom, and she would kick the door so I stayed there and waited until it became quiet before I came out.”

The author also mentioned it was strange that any posts related to the actress are taken down “at the speed of light”, saying something’s fishy.

The original post, which garnered over 300 comments, has since been deleted.

Jeon Jong-seo Refutes The Claims

Jeon’s agency ANDMARQ said in a statement on 4 April: “We have checked with Jeon and her acquaintances and have found that the (rumours) in the online posts are not true at all.”

“Up until now, we have refrained from taking any action against these rumors, believing that they were completely baseless, but as the reckless spread of content such as speculative posts and malicious comments continues, not only the actress herself but also those around her are suffering from severe mental damages, and so from now on, we intend to take legal measures to protect our label artist.”

ANDMARQ added, “We will continue to do our best to protect the honour and rights of our label artists.”

South Korean Netizens Take School Bullying Very Seriously

School bullying rumours are not uncommon among South Korean celebrities.

Though, some aren’t rumours at all, but rather, truthful accusations.

Just one week ago, bullying accusations against actress Song Ha-yoon made headlines.

The actress, who debuted as Kim Byul in 2003, changed her stage name to Song Ha-yoon in 2012.

Song is best known for her roles in the television series Fight for My Way (2017) and Marry My Husband (2024).

The actress was first accused of being involved in a case of verbal abuse in 2015. A netizen shared an incident alleging that the actress and her father had verbally abused a woman for feeding stray cats, and that Song had allegedly thrown away the cat food the woman had bought.

Although Song’s agency has not yet addressed this older allegation, it has admitted that Song was forcefully transferred to another school “in relation to a school violence incident”.

Her involvement in the incident has not yet been verified, though the punishment she received is notably the second-harshest punishment behind expulsion.

A large number of comments on the actress’ recent Instagram post are related to this incident, with many either asking for clarification or expressing disappointment and disgust with regards to the school bullying.

A 2023 survey by South Korean pollster Real Research Korea asked over 3000 adults in South Korea what they thought of school violence cases involving celebrities.

About 24.3% said those accused “should cease all appearances immediately” while 58.3% said they should “put off appearances at least until the (accusation) is verified”.

It seems South Koreans are very unforgiving when it comes to instances of school bullying.

And it’s not just South Koreans, no one likes bullies.

Since Jeon Jong-seo’s agency has refuted claims of her alleged involvement in school bullying, it’s best to avoid speculation or jumping to conclusions. Let’s take their word for now, until more details are disclosed by official sources.