Song Ha-yoon was 'forced to transfer' from high school for bullying, agency confirms

Actor Song Ha-yoon [NEWS1]

Multiple people have accused actor Song Ha-yoon of having beaten up her fellow students in high school, including one who claims to have perpetrated a violent incident alongside the actor.

JTBC’s current affairs program “Crime Chief” (2014-) reported on Tuesday that Song had been expelled from high school in 2004 for beating fellow students.

Actor Song Ha-yoon accused of beating up fellow student on playground in high school

The program reported that Song, along with two friends, assaulted a female peer, leaving her hospitalized with serious injuries that took four weeks to heal completely.

A woman claiming to be one of Song's two accomplices appeared on the show, saying that “it cannot be denied that [she] participated in the assault.”

“If Song Ha-yoon denies it, this would dismiss everyone’s faults. This will not do,” she said.

The report also included a follow-up to Monday’s episode, in which an informant claimed the “Marry My Husband” actor had “slapped [him] across the face for 90 minutes” in 2004, when he was in his second year and Song was in her third year at the same high school. Song's agency denied the accusation shortly after the episode aired, claiming the actor did not know the informant.

The informant responded in Tuesday's episode that there was no way the actor did not know who he was.

“If she did not know me, why would [she] have offered to pay for all expenses if I went to Korea, or have reached me all the way to the United States? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Song offered to sit for an interview with JTBC but later abruptly canceled it, according to “Crime Chief.”

Song’s agency, Kingkong by Starship Entertainment, verified earlier on Tuesday that the actor had been “expelled from Banpo High School due to school violence.”

Kingkong also confirmed that Song “was involved in an incident” where her deskmate was bullied. The agency said that the event led to Song's expulsion, but also claimed that the actress “was not the one who assaulted the victim.”

Song's agency vowed legal action against the informant and “Crime Chief” after Tuesday's episode aired.

“We would like to reiterate that all of the claims made in JTBC’s ‘Crime Chief’ report on Song Ha-yoon and in the follow-up report are not true,” Kingkong by Starship said in a statement.

Song, whose real name is Kim Mi-sun, debuted under the stage name “Kim Byul” in 2003 and began using Song Ha-yoon in 2012. She is known for her roles in the TV series “Marry My Husband” and “Fight for My Way” (2017) as well as the film “Intimate Strangers” (2018).

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]