Nam Joo-hyuk’s photos from military training evokes mixed response as netizens bring up bullying allegations

Nam Joo-hyuk’s military photos began making rounds on Twitter after the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan posted photos of the new batch of trainees on April 5, 2023. The military uploads pictures of their new recruits for their family and friends. The actor enlisted on March 20 and in the photos, already had short hair.

Several fans commented on the Twenty-Five, Twenty-One actor’s picture looking dashing, but many netizens were not happy with it.

Netizens raised the issue of the 29-year-old’s bullying allegations that first arose on June 19, 2022. His agency, Management SOOP, released a detailed statement a day later, denying the allegations and stating that they would take legal action.

However, some netizens continued to be critical of the actor as he enlisted without any posts for fans. All of his enlistment details were given via his agency.

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Fans comment on Nam Joo-hyuk's looks and bring up bullying allegations after military shares pictures

Popular actor Nam Joo-hyuk was reportedly selected as the Squadron Commander Trainer in the Military Police Force.

The actor, who has shows such as Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and Start-Up on his roster, made his last Instagram post in March 2022. Since he rarely had any personal communication with fans, the military center posting pictures of their latest batch of recruits had them excited. However, the excitement was also marred by mentions of his school bullying allegations.

On a South Korean online forum, theqoo, comments varied between complimenting his evergreen visuals and school violence mentions. Some even criticized him and said that he ran off to the army.

English translations of Korean netizens' comment on Nam Joo-hyuk's military photos on theqoo (Image via pannchoa)

However, a few fans also commented on Twitter that the allegations were termed false by the agency. Nam Joo-hyuk’s former classmate and a couple of teachers defended the actor as well.

The bullying allegations followed on the heels of the 29-year-old actor’s show with Kim Tae-ri titled Twenty-Five, Twenty-One. Before enlisting, he completed filming for the webtoon adaptation drama Vigilante.

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What was Nam Joo-hyuk’s bullying controversy all about?

An alleged former classmate (referred to henceforth as Mr. A), a former classmate of Nam Joo-hyuk, was interviewed by The Days News on June 19, 2022. The former classmate claimed that the actor bullied people in school for six years.

Mr. A also claimed that the actor hit classmates, hurled abuse, made them run errands, threw mechanical pencils at them, and even pulled chairs as they tried to sit down. The accuser added that others experienced an intense level of bullying from the actor, with some even needing psychiatric treatment.

Management SOOP denied the allegations, and netizens also believed that Mr. A’s claims were not genuine due to various reasons. Mr. A changed the story by claiming that he wasn’t bullied but that his friends were.

Netizens also found it suspicious that Mr. A alleged six years of bullying when he and the actor were classmates for only three years. Their suspicions only grew after they realized the reports were published in a tabloid instead of a reputable news publication.

On June 28, a second accuser came forward to Kyung Hyang Newspaper claiming that the Vigilante actor bullied them with violent and abusive language. They mentioned that they spoke up because it hurt how the actor sued his classmate and denied the allegations. The agency vehemently denied the second accuser’s claims.

On July 6, a third accuser, a female, came forward with group chat details claiming that Nam Joo-hyuk and his friends s*xually harassed and bullied her in their senior year of high school.

In response, Manage SOOP commented that although the chats were real, it “did not reveal the whole story of the situation.” The agency said that the chats “provided an excerpt of one fragment of the scene” without any context.

The article also mentioned that the incident was wrapped up with an apology in the school, which the agency also confirmed. The agency also reiterated that the first and second claims were completely false.

All this time, multiple people came forward to defend Nam Joo-hyuk, ranging from his former classmates to teachers.