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Following reports that surfaced online about Nam Joo-hyuk bullying his schoolmates, the actor's agency, SOOP, has released a statement denying the claims made by anonymous individuals:
“After checking the truth with the actor regarding the initial report, we have confirmed that all the relevant information is not true in the slightest."
The agency has also said that it will take strong legal action against anyone, including journalists, who might be involved in spreading such claims on the internet or otherwise. In addition to this, the agency stated that they were not approached regarding the verification of the claims.
Nam Joo-hyuk’s role in recent tvN show Twenty-Five Twenty-One received much appreciation from fans worldwide. As a result, when claims of the actor being a bully surfaced online, many hoped that they were untrue.
Fortunately, SOOP's strongly worded statement might be key to reinforcing the actor's innocence.
SOOP vouches for Nam Joo-hyuk’s innocence in official statement
The official statement by SOOP apologized for taking this long to come up with a response. Affirming the actor's innocence, SOOP then wrote:
"We also express our regret at the one-sided report from the media that did not check the truth even once with the agency or the actor before publishing the article.”
The agency requested a correction from the Press Arbitration Commission (PAC) against media outlets which spread false reports on the internet, thereby damaging Nam Joo-hyuk's reputation. Stating that they would also file legal charges, the agency said:
“We will file criminal charges against the reporter of the media outlet that first reported [the claims] as well as the anonymous source. The agency has requested this case to our legal advisor today in order to proceed with legal actions, and we are in the process of carrying them out.”
The statement also tried to spotlight the difficulties that the actor’s family experienced while unchecked reports spread online. They addressed the claims made online as being “vague gossip.” The agency said,
“No matter how the agency or actor reveal an official statement denying the reckless articles that take on an attitude of “whatever if it is false” and do not even check the truth and only rely on groundless rumors online, the current state leads to [the actor] being branded with a scarlet letter, which the agency really cannot help but feel distressed and regrettable about.”
The agency further stressed that they would take necessary action without leniency, especially against “malicious over-analyzations and interpretations, actions that encourage this, and malicious posts and comments that go beyond mere expression of opinions.”
SOOP concluded the statement by asking fans and netizens to refrain from engaging with and spreading the false claims made online.
