The testimony of 18 school colleagues and 2 teachers of Nam Joohyuk
Seo Seokhoon (Classmate in 10th grade), Lee XX (Classmate in 10th grade), Shin XX (Classmate in 10th grade), Park XX (Classmate in 11th grade), H (Classmate in 11th and 12th grade), Shin XX (Classmate in 12th grade), S1 (Classmate in 12th grade), S2 (Classmate in 12th grade), Kim XX (Classmate in 12th grade), Cho Boo-hyung (School colleague), Lee XX (School colleague), Park XX (School colleague), Son XX (School colleague), Y1 (School colleague), Y2 (School colleague), J (School colleague), Park Taegyu (Homeroom teacher in 10th grade), Hong Sungman (Homeroom teacher in 12th grade)
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If you were a reporter and there's information from an informant. Will you be covering the news?
First of all, we have to check the credibility of the informant. You have to know the harm that had been caused and then you have to find the evidence. But in this case, I ran into a wall. School violence cases that, mostly, happened years ago. There's only statements, but there's (almost) no evidence.
If the School Violence Committee is held, it gives the informant's statement some power. The student records could also be a good reference. Especially if there's a medical record, it could increase the credibility of the source's statement even more.
On the other side, what if the only evidence the informant has is their school yearbook? But still, school violence shouldn't be ignored just like that. Remembering the wound that the informant received because of it. At this moment, it's very important to examine the statement.
Informant A (Interview with T Media):
I suffered from school violence for 6 years. He would cut the line in the canteen, curse at me, make me his 'Bread-Shuttle' (buy bread for him), throw pencils at me, and pull my chair when I try to sit on it.
I attended the same school as Nam Joohyuk for 2 years. A group of bullies would do things like cut the line, curse, abuse my friends, etc.
A's close friend was outcasted by Nam Joohyuk. The other bullies used to throw pencils at him and pull his chair when he tries to sit on it.
Informant B (Interview with S Media):
I received abuse, physically and verbally, and also was outcasted.
He would always take and use my phone as he pleases. He even purchased a game through my phone.
He forcefully made me fight in a sparing. He also made me his 'Bread-Shuttle'
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Actor Nam Joohyuk is under fire for school violence allegations. Informant A and B (and their mothers) revealed the things he had done to them in interviews with T and S Media.
There are approximately 4 to 5 damages listed by A and B, such as throwing pencil leads, bread-shuttle, habitual violence, purchasing paid games, and forcefully made (the victims) fight in sparings.
Dispatch contacted reported L who works in S Media, asking if they could help us reach the informants. We told them that we want to have a phone call, but there was no answer. L only stated, 'The statements that the informant gave were all true'. However, we can not confirm anything.
The reason why Dispatch tries to reach the informant is to confirm the credibility of the statements. Because the records of Nam Joohyuk's school life are so different from all the statements that the informants gave out.
School violence indeed should not be ignored, but cross-checking the fact is also necessary. This report is to cross-check the facts that were informed by T and S Media.
Once again, there are only statements, but no evidence in this case. So far, there are two informants under anonymous spoke up. Next, let's take a look at the statements from 20 other informants.
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1) Bully
'If hanging out with a group of friends makes you a bully, I think it's better for you to live your school life alone'
12th-grade classmate, Shin XX, said, 'How should we attend school? Don't students usually do that (hanging out as a group) at school?'
'Is hanging out with a group of friends that problematic? Smart students hang together, and so do students who like sport. We tend to hang out with friends who have the same interest. I was just like that. So was Joohyuk' (Shin XX). H and L, who both were Nam Joohyuk's classmates in 11th and 12th grade, also said the same thing.
'The punishments were so severe in our year. It was really strict. There was no such thing as Iljins or bullies. If you bully someone continuously, you'd be in so much trouble if the teacher finds out' (H, L)
'There was no such thing as Iljin or bullies in our school. If you try to become one, you'll be treated like a weird person. After seeing the informants' statements, the other school colleagues recommended us to speak up and take a part in the police investigation' (Y1)
'I'm saying this because I had no idea what it was like back then. But I'm sure there were some people who think that you're a bully just because you hang out as a group. However, Nam Joohyuk was not included in that type of students' (Seo Seokhun)
Then, what kind of student was Nam Joohyuk like back then?
'Joohyuk was not the kind of student who bully other student. He loved sports. He always joke around with his friends. In other words, he has a good personality. That's why his friends love him too' (Cho Boo-hyung)
'He used to bluff(?) about how he would become a model. The other students would just laugh at him. He was actually attending a model school. He loved basketball. And he also slept a lot. The teachers trust him because he's quite trustworthy... Haha' (Lee XX)
'Joohyuk is the kind of student who would say, 'Guys, let's be quiet'. If someone were fighting, he would step up and say, 'Let's not fight'. I don't know what kind of misunderstanding the informants had with Nam Joohyuk, but he clearly wasn't that kind of person' (Teacher Park Taegyu)
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2) Bread-Shuttle
'I can firmly say that's a lie. It was so ridiculous that after that statement surfaced online, I almost talk about this and post it in an online community' (H)
'Joohyuk and I always go to the canteen to buy bread together. He never ordered anyone to buy him bread. We go there in person to buy it', 12th-grade classmate, Shin XX, reveals as he laughs it off.
'The girls and the boys were divided in our school. The canteen is the place for us to see people. If Joohyuk was the kind of person who orders people around to buy him bread, he would be treated like a weird person in our school' (L)
'Joohyuk loved going to the cafetaria. We were in a different class, but we often hang out during break time. Well, I may not know everything but if he was the kind of person who orders people around to buy him bread, the rumor would have already spread right away. That kind of person would in fact be an outcast in our school' (J).
'Maybe the informants meant Joohyuk asked them a favor to buy him bread, as they were going to the canteen. It's a normal thing to do. On the other hand, Joohyuk also did help other students by doing them favor like buying them bread when he goes to the canteen' (S1)
3) Sparing
Informant B said, 'Nam Joohyuk and the other bullies would make a ring in the classroom. I had to fight someone inside that ring, even if I don't want to'.
'Nam Joohyuk had nothing to do with that. 11th and 12th-grade classmate, L, admitted that there were springs, but Nam Joohyuk was not involved in that.
'Honestly, does it make sense to force someone to fight in a sparing? Forcefully start a fight? I do not have any recalls on that. We did joke around physically in the back of the class. We used to imitate WWE' (L)
'Are they talking about wrestling?', school colleagues S1 and S2 asked. 'The guys in Joohyuk's class did wrestle as a joke in the back of the classroom, but Joohyuk was never involved. I had never heard him involved in a sparing as well'
'The social (Nam Joohyuk's class) and science classrooms are on different floors. Sometimes, I would go to the social-studies classrooms during break time and find the kids wrestle as a joke there. It was nothing serious, from what I remember, they were just joking around' (Y1)
'I remember P and 'Rinda Man' (He was called Rinda Man because he's 190cm tall) fighting in the back of the classroom. It happened because P kept on picking a fight with Rinda Man' (Kim XX)
'Sometimes, I would go to Nam Jooyuk's class during break time and there would be around two guys joking around in the back. I remember P saying, 'Come here', to Rinda Man and seeing them fight. But of course, that had nothing to do with Nam Joohyuk' (School colleague H)
'There was a student who purchased a paid game without telling. It was huge. Everyone knows about that'
When asked if Nam Joohyuk was that student, all school colleagues denied it, saying that it was P.
'The teacher was so mad. He said, 'Who secretly took my phone and purchased a paid game?'. It was P. Everyone in my class knows about that, it was very shocking.
'Nam Joohyuk taking someone else's phone and purchasing a paid game? It was P who did that. I remember the teacher was so raged, asking the students about who took his phone and purchased that game' (Son XX)
'The culprit was P. The informant seemed to manipulate that incident and said it was Nam Joohyuk. But that incident had nothing to do with Nam Joohyuk. That informant was so mean for doing that' (H)
'Everyone knows about that incident. Why did they point fingers on Nam Joohyuk, when it was actually P who did that? P was in the same class as Joohyuk in 10th grade. He used to pick fight, saying things like 'You long-legged bastards, eat up'' (Lee XX)
'The students had to hand in their phones in the morning 10 years ago. They would be scolded if they don't. Well, I wouldn't know if they had 2 phones' (Teacher Park Taegyu)
L also denied the rumors about Nam Joohyuk forcing other students to turn on their 'Hotspot'
'If you get caught using your phone during school time, they would confiscate it for a week. We have to hand in our phones every morning, how would we be able to use the Hotspot? Does that mean the informant and Joohyuk didn't hand in their phones? They would be in so much trouble if they didn't' (L)
'I really want to know why would they lie about things like this? How would we be able to prove it if it didn't happen in the first place? It's very unfair, especially since the public believes the statement that wasn't even confirmed in the first place' (Kim XX)
5) Pencil leads, cutting lines
Informant A first said that he was bullied for 6 years, but then he changed his statement, saying that it was only 3 years. At first, he accused Nam Joohyuk of throwing pencil leads at him from the back. Then he changed his statement, saying that it was another bully who used to throw pencil leads at him.
Informant B's statements about bullying, bread-shuttle, sparing, and purchasing paid games were all already confirmed above. The last accusation was cutting lines.
'It's an all-boy class, sometimes we get into fights just so that we can eat as soon as we can. It was like a war during lunchtime. It happens in our class too' (School colleague, Park XX)
'There was no cafeteria back then. We would eat our lunch in class. The earlier you get in line, the earlier you get to eat. We would fight just so we can eat earlier. I had no idea this could be considered as school violence' (S1)
If the thing that happened during lunchtime has ever hurt informant A's heart, the only right to do is to apologize. However, the identity of A is unknown. The media who released the news are keeping their identities a secret.
6) In addition
The 18 school colleagues and 2 teachers that Dispatch met all said the allegations were all wrong. Obviously, these statements could not be used as evidence.
Let's move on to the statement of Nam Joohyuk's homeroom teachers. His homeroom teacher from 11th-grade has already retired and could not be reached.
'I'll risk the pride of my teacher's life here. Back then, there were punishments. Even the female teachers carry around sticks. The mothers would also make sticks and give them to the teachers. We would educate them properly, even if it means we have to hit them. At least, back then, there were no such thing as a bully', Nam Joohyuk 10th-grade homeroom teacher specially requested us to write this in the article.
'Nam Joohyuk was a positive and promising student. He was also very trustworthy. I liked that part of him, even though sometimes I scold him too. There was no one in the school who disliked him. He wasn't the type of person who would bully another student. You can use my statement as you please. That's how confident I am' (Park Taegyu)
'Nam Joohyuk? I remember he was a nice student. He was kind. He wasn't that outstanding. He was an active student. I remember him as one of the cool students that I taught. He often helped his friends. He may be not that outstanding academically, but he used to receive a lot of compliments for his character and personality'
'The only bad thing about him is that he was always late to school. He would be punished if he arrived late, but he never complained and do as he was told to. What kind of a bully does that? This malicious false information that spreads online is very upsetting for me. You have to take responsibility if you ever done something wrong, but accusing someone with false statements is not the right thing to do' (Hong Sungman)
-He's not a bully, but there were pictures of him drinking when he was a minor? That's interestingㅋㅋ
-Dispatch would write about anything as long as you pay themㅋㅋㅋ
-20 people including teachers and some school colleagues who reveal their real names have given out their statements. Isn't this trustworthy enough?
-It's not easy to decide to reveal your name in this kind of statement these days. Doesn't this mean that we can trust him?
-It must've been really unfair for Nam Joohyuk
-Nam Joohyuk must've been a great friend, seeing by how a lot of his friends stepped up to help him. This is why you should live your life properly.
-You can't accuse someone of being a bully just because they drink. Me and my friends would secretly drink too when we were in high schoolㅋㅋㅋ
-20 people have stated that the allegations were all false. What else now?
-It's funny how people believe a post written by an anonymous in Pann, but not thisㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I somehow believe this... 18 of his school colleagues are basically saying the same thing.
-Why are there a lot of people who wish the allegations were real?
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