Jo Byung-gyu says school bullying claims have ruined his career

An anonymous person claimed in an online post to have been bullied by Jo Byung-gyu while they were in school together in New Zealand. PHOTO: BK_ARTA/INSTAGRAM

K-drama actor Jo Byung-gyu has spoken out against allegations of school bullying, revealing that his career has been ruined.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday (March 10), he wrote: "My 10-year career has already collapsed and all of the projects I was scheduled to participate in have been put on hold. The damage amounts to a number I can't quantify."

The 24-year-old star of Sky Castle (2018 to 2019) and The Uncanny Counter (2020 to 2021) also revealed being affected mentally since the allegations surfaced about a month ago: "The mental damage? Ever since the accusations, I keep my eyes glued to the ground when I go out and I haven't slept for weeks."

On Feb 16, an anonymous person claimed in an online post to have been bullied by Jo while they were in school together in New Zealand, but later took down the post and apologised.

Three other people then came forward - two accused him of physical abuse, while the third defended Jo.

The actor had addressed the issue on Feb 23 in an Instagram post, defending himself in detail. His management agency, HB Entertainment, also started legal proceedings to clear his name.

However, one of the later accusers has now claimed that HB Entertainment's legal representative demanded "an unthinkable amount" in damages and told him to remove the posts and upload an apology letter.

He also alleged that an anonymous person, who appeared to be connected to the agency, had been harassing him online and that he had lost his job due to the stress from the case.

In Jo's latest post, he wrote that the agency had never pressured the accuser or asked for money: "I was firmly determined to no longer react to malicious anonymous posts, but I just can't tolerate this.

"Just how am I supposed to prove something that isn't true? How do I remember and prove the things that happened 11 or even up to 16 years ago?"

Addressing the accuser directly, he also said: "And don't blame others for getting fired due to your lack of diligence. This person already knows very well that I will be harmed even more if this issue continues to be consumed as gossip."

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