Kim Dong Hee cleared of school bullying allegations, lawyer issues a statement

After months of controversy, actor Kim Dong Hee has finally been cleared of all bullying allegations. Back in February 2020, the Extracurricular actor was accused of being a school violence perpetrator by an anonymous person on an online forum. Titled “Actor Kim Dong Hee born in 1999 was a school violence perpetrator,” the post contained alleged testimonies of Kim Dong Hee’s former classmates and the actor’s graduation pictures as evidence for the accusation.

Another individual corroborated the original post, adding that the actor was also known for manhandling and hitting classmates who had disabilities, and for smoking e-cigarettes in class.

While the actor vehemently denied the allegations, the controversy dragged on55 for well over a year and a half. After months of investigation, however, Kim Dong Hee’s agency and lawyer have finally confirmed via an official statement that the actor has been found innocent on all charges.

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Kim Dong Hee's lawyer issued a statement declaring the actor's innocent

On December 28, the Itaewon Class actor’s lawyer released a long statement, announcing Kim Dong Hee’s innocence on all charges.

The full statement says (translated from Korean),

Hello. Here is our position on the issue regarding actor Kim Dong Hee.For a long time through law enforcement agencies, Kim Dong Hee has worked hard to reveal the truth of the allegations posted online in February. In the process, Kim Dong Hee submitted his plaintiff statement, statements from his teachers and alumni, and copies of his elementary and middle school records.

However, due to the fact that this happened in elementary school, which was a long time ago, and there is no clear evidence to support the different positions and claims, the investigations found Kim Dong hee to be innocent.

The lawyer stated that Kim Dong Hee was especially concerned about the allegations of bullying classmates with disabilities, and opened up about the actor’s personal relationship with his family.

This result does not mean that the raised allegations are true. In particular, Kim Dong Hee really wanted to correct the information about bullying a classmate with a disability, so I would like to take this opportunity to address this part.

Kim Dong Hee grew up with two people with disabilities in his immediate family, and although he had a difficult family life, he tried to protect and embrace his family’s pain and wounds. Thus, false information about [his attitude towards] people with disabilities caused not only him, but also his family members with disabilities, a lot of pain and suffering.

There was a time when Kim Dong Hee was rebellious because of his poor childhood environment, but he never did anything that would be considered a social controversy. However, he realized that there were some people who were hurt by his immature words and actions, and he took the time to deeply reflect on himself. Kim Dong Hee will continue to try to be a better person.

Kim Dong Hee last appeared in the Netflix original Extracurricular in 2020, and in Itaewon Class. Following the allegations, however, the actor had disappeared from the public view. Several fans hope the actor makes a much needed comeback soon now that the allegations have been laid to rest.