"Publicly slapped..." Seo Yea-ji, school violence allegations... Agency "Completely false"

Actor Seo Yea-ji / Photo by Seo Yea-ji Instagram

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Actress Seo Yea-ji, who has been embroiled in the 'Kim Jung-hyun manipulation theory,' has been accused of being a school violence (bullying) perpetrator. Her agency denied all allegations.

On the 13th, a post titled "The Reason Why Seo Yea-ji's School Violence Could Not Have Been Exposed" was uploaded on an online community bulletin board.

The author, claiming to be a classmate by posting a graduation album from the middle school Seo Yea-ji graduated from, wrote, "First of all, we are in our 30s and many are mothers. In fact, one victim who was slapped by Seo Yea-ji in front of all the kids and flew away is also a mother," revealing the initials of the victim's name.

The author stated that Seo Yea-ji's daily life did not match that of a student at all, writing, "She was incredibly famous since the 6th grade of elementary school. She would seriously hit the girls she brought along whenever she didn't like them and treated everything as if it were her own."

He continued, "On the graduation day after the winter break of her 3rd year in middle school, Seo Yea-ji quietly distanced herself from the group she pretended to be nice to and underwent double eyelid surgery and orthodontic treatment to transform her image."

He added, "The reason why the school violence controversy has not surfaced until now is probably because the victims are mothers who could not easily come forward. I am also a mother. I understand that feeling."

Seo Yea-ji was also caught up in the 'Kim Jung-hyun manipulation theory' after it was revealed that she dated Kim Jung-hyun in the past. Previously, Dispatch reported that at the production presentation of the MBC TV drama 'Time' in 2018, where Kim Jung-hyun played the lead role, he refused skinship with his partner Seo Hyun and repeatedly exhibited similar behavior during filming, eventually withdrawing from the drama. This was said to be due to demands from Seo Yea-ji, who was Kim Jung-hyun's girlfriend at the time.

According to text message conversations between the two released by Dispatch, Seo Yea-ji showed behavior close to gaslighting towards Kim Jung-hyun. Seo Yea-ji instructed Kim Jung-hyun not to get close to the co-actor Seo Hyun or the female staff. Kim Jung-hyun expressed suffering from eating disorders and panic disorder and withdrew from the drama.

Seo Yea-ji's agency Gold Medalist stated that while it is true that Seo Yea-ji dated fellow actor Kim Jung-hyun in the past, she did not influence Kim Jung-hyun's withdrawal from the drama. The agency said, "After confirming with Kim Jung-hyun's side, it was clearly confirmed that the drama-related controversy did not arise because of Seo Yea-ji."

They also explained that there was a conversation where Kim Jung-hyun asked Seo Yea-ji, who was appearing in another drama, not to film a kissing scene, saying, "This can be seen as a common love quarrel between actors who are in a relationship in the industry."