Actor Shim Eun-woo reiterated his denial of allegations of school violence and expressed concerns about his health.

On the 21st, Shim Eun-woo's side stated, "During the investigation, clear evidence has emerged proving that Shim Eun-woo is not the perpetrator of school violence, which is also specified in the investigation results. The person involved in the incident claimed by individual A in the exposé is someone else. Although it is difficult to punish individual A, we were able to obtain meaningful results through the investigative process, making it difficult to confirm 'whether school violence occurred.'"

Shim Eun-woo, who quickly gained attention through the drama "The World of the Married," became embroiled in controversy in March 2021 due to an anonymous exposé. At that time, the writer, individual A, claimed in a post titled "I bravely report Shim Eun-woo (Park So-ri) of school violence" that "I was bullied by Park So-ri in the first year of Bukpyeong Girls' Middle School." Following this, Shim Eun-woo's agency refuted individual A's claims, saying, "While it is true that Shim Eun-woo did not have a good relationship with the writer, there was never any physical violence or behavior that could be socially problematic."

In response, individual A rebutted in an interview with a media outlet, saying, "If it was just a simple dispute, why did Shim Eun-woo ask for my acquaintance's number and call my sister to apologize?" claiming to have recorded evidence. To this, Shim Eun-woo expressed, "I realized that my immature words and actions in school left deep emotional scars on my friend. I am truly sorry."

Due to these revelations, Shim Eun-woo entered a state of self-reflection. In March 2023, he stated, "At first, I had no idea who wrote the post, and I learned about it through a friend's contact. My agency and I could not acknowledge events we had no memory of, which led to denial and, unintentionally, a battle over the truth. I met and apologized to that friend and my sister alongside the director of the drama 'Fly Butterfly' and my agency at that time. My posting an apology on social media was misunderstood as an acknowledgment of school violence."

Shim Eun-woo filed a criminal complaint against individual A for false allegations of defamation. The police conducted an investigation over eight months, concluding that individual A was not guilty. Shim Eun-woo's side explained, "For the crime of defamation to establish, it must be proven that individual A wrote the post knowing it was false. However, individual A continues to believe that Shim Eun-woo is the perpetrator, meaning intent could not be recognized, leading to a decision of insufficient evidence for non-prosecution."

In particular, it was noted, "Shim Eun-woo has lost the profession he has dreamed of for a lifetime, and is currently suffering from excessive malicious comments and ridicule while bearing false accusations." He has expressed that despite continuously receiving psychological counseling to overcome this, he still complains of chest pain and frustration. Recently, he has developed tics, leading to a significant decline in health. The psychological damage to Shim Eun-woo's family is likewise considerable beyond description, evoking sympathy.

Here is the full statement from Shim Eun-woo's side.

#Summary by timeline

- Shim Eun-woo's middle school classmate, individual A, pointed to Shim Eun-woo as a perpetrator of school violence, repeatedly revising the content of the first post written four years ago and adding new details. While the original post stated there was no physical violence, last year individual A suddenly changed their statement to include that Shim Eun-woo had assaulted them and sent a notarized letter.

- Through a subsequent second post, individual A spread false information, claiming that Shim Eun-woo's agency sought forgiveness. When the agency protested, individual A changed their statement, expressing regret, and revised the post four times in total.

- An individual who reportedly had a direct conflict with individual A surfaced, explaining that Shim Eun-woo was not involved. Although testimonies and interviews were conducted, individual A refused to accept this.

- Despite specific testimonies from the actual parties involved in the incident, individual A proposed to conduct a lie detector test on Shim Eun-woo. However, individual A did not agree to the test while Shim Eun-woo complied sincerely. As a result, no falsehoods were found in Shim Eun-woo's statements.

- Many classmates and teachers also testified that there was no merit to individual A's claims, and even all individuals mentioned in individual A's post responded that such incidents did not occur. Only individual A continued to make claims.

- Individual A's father contacted the second-year homeroom teacher, requesting, "Since the first-year homeroom teacher also wrote a statement for individual A, can you write one too?" However, it turned out the first-year homeroom teacher had never prepared such a statement, and the second-year homeroom teacher refused, stating they could not lie.

- Initially, individual A only wanted an apology, but then reversed that stance and suddenly demanded compensation along with a notarized letter instructing Shim Eun-woo to not appeal the injustice in the future. Shim Eun-woo rejected this and requested re-investigation.

- While it is not easy for a re-investigation request to be accepted practically, this case was recognized as needing it and proceeded. This is an extremely rare occurrence nationwide.

- For the defamation charge to be established, it must be proven that individual A wrote the post while knowing it was false. However, even with the parties involved present, individual A continues to firmly believe and assert that Shim Eun-woo committed violence, ultimately leading to a decision for 'non-prosecution.'

- In other words, even if there was no harassment by Shim Eun-woo, individual A could not be punished because intent could not be recognized if they wrote the post believing it to be true.

- The non-prosecution decision does not imply that school violence was acknowledged but states that the suspect cannot be punished. The investigation results demonstrated that it is "difficult to objectively determine if school violence occurred."

- An email was sent from the production director of the drama Shim Eun-woo was filming at the time, explaining the circumstances that led to the apology request. Furthermore, he expressed sincere apologies for the choices made on that day.

1. Reason for issuing a statement despite the 'non-prosecution' decision

The non-prosecution decision does not imply that school violence is acknowledged but indicates the inability to punish the suspect for defamation.

During the investigation, clear evidence emerged proving that Shim Eun-woo is not a perpetrator of school violence, which is also specified in the investigation results.

The person involved in the incident claimed by individual A in the exposé is someone else. In order to correct the truth, the parties involved finished an interview presenting a specific explanation and drafting statements at the time, but individual A does not accept the facts and repeatedly makes unilateral claims, leaving us with no option.

Even individual A's father contacted the second-year homeroom teacher, requesting, "The first-year homeroom teacher has written a statement, please write one too," but it was confirmed that the first-year homeroom teacher had never made such a statement. The second-year homeroom teacher also could not lie and refused to draft a statement.

Explanations from homeroom teachers specify that if a child faced such circumstances due to school violence that they had to transfer schools, then parents would have consulted with the school or at least made a phone call, yet there was not a single instance of such communication.

Moreover, Shim Eun-woo has reached out to those mentioned in individual A's assertions about every situation, but none confirmed such events occurred. For instance, individual A's sister, referred to as Lee ***(alias), stated in a renewed targeting post on NatePan, "What my sister asked me to relay is that after I became close with Jo***(nickname), they told me the next day, ‘I heard you did something bad!’ Yet, I had no interaction with that friend."

After confirming with the classmate mentioned by individual A, they stated they do not recall such an occurrence. They also wish that individual A would stop writing malicious posts that upset many people and expressed a desire to at least have a conversation with individual A.

Nevertheless, for the crime of defamation to establish, it must be proven that individual A wrote the post knowing the facts were false. However, individual A continues to believe that Shim Eun-woo is the perpetrator, leading to the inability to recognize intent and resulting in a decision of insufficient evidence for non-prosecution. Thus, while punishing individual A is difficult, we were able to obtain meaningful outcomes stating that 'it is difficult to confirm whether school violence occurred' through the investigative process. Although it is impossible to recover the lost time, we are disclosing these processes in the hope that Shim Eun-woo can escape the unjust accusation.

2. An apology received recently from the production director of the previous work

In 2021, Shim Eun-woo was in the midst of filming a project that was significantly underway. Concerned that it might affect the work, he wanted to meet with individual A multiple times to clarify any misunderstandings, but individual A rejected all such requests. Subsequently, individual A reported the content of their first phone call with Shim Eun-woo to the media or made unsolicited calls to media offices to convey their one-sided position consistently.

Unlike Shim Eun-woo's original intention, the incident's impact grew larger, eventually prompting the production team to meet with individual A to discuss their preferences. Shim Eun-woo was then requested to write an apology letter under the condition that he would not withdraw from the ongoing project. The letter was written fully reflecting individual A's confirmation and correction requests, yet individual A continues to leave the exposé, claiming it is not a true apology.

During this, in July of the previous year, Shim Eun-woo received an apology email from the production director of the drama he was filming at the time. The email expressed genuine regret for the perception that the apology letter was misunderstood as an "acknowledgment of school violence."

<Hello Eun-woo, this is Producer Kim O-sik of 'Fly Butterfly'>

By the time filming of the 2021 drama 'Fly Butterfly' had progressed more than halfway, allegations of school violence against actor Shim Eun-woo became an issue, leading to heavy concerns and discussions internally. Typically, when such controversies arise, the actor and production staff are pressured to withdraw, regardless of the facts. At that time, there was an ongoing debate in the media about the factual relationship between both sides. Ultimately, after careful consideration, the production team decided not to remove the actor from the work. (Omitted)

What weighs heavily on my mind now is that the apology issued at the time was interpreted by the media as an immediate "acknowledgment of Shim Eun-woo's school violence," differing from the producers' true intentions. I regret not thoroughly contemplating that the acknowledgment of 'immature words and actions during school years' would limit the future activities of actor Shim Eun-woo, who has since undergone painful experiences.

3. Do not appeal the injustice anymore. I will not meet. However, I demand monetary compensation.

Contrary to expectations that appearances of parties directly involved would clear misunderstandings, individual A instead drafted a second post suggesting a lie detector test. Furthermore, even after the first lawsuit, individual A again expressed a position to the media, implying that the 'non-prosecution' decision acknowledged Shim Eun-woo's school violence as a fact. Through media reports, individual A has revealed their feeling wronged but has now sent a notarized letter demanding not just that Shim Eun-woo refrain from protesting against this injustice, but also monetary compensation.

After being branded a perpetrator of school violence, Shim Eun-woo has withdrawn from all projects he agreed to participate in, and the work filmed at that time has yet to be aired. Over the course of more than four years, he has been living an unstable livelihood and is at a loss over how to continue his life. In this situation, he feels he has no additional money, nor wants to suppress the frustrations he has endured.

4. Shim Eun-woo, whose face and name are known, and that person who still exists behind the pseudonym 'individual A'

From the beginning, Shim Eun-woo, who has been publicly labeled as a 'perpetrator of school violence' for the entire nation, and the counterpart still living a normal life behind the pseudonym of 'individual A' are in entirely opposite situations. It is truly unfortunate that this situation persists. Even revealing a single statement carries a heavy responsibility, and I am exceedingly cautious. Therefore, conveying my current position took considerable time.

Shim Eun-woo has lost the career he has long dreamed of as an actor and continues to suffer from excessive malicious comments and ridicule while bearing false accusations. His name continues to be mentioned whenever works or characters dealing with school violence appear before the public. The duration of this nightmare remains unpredictable.

Despite consistently undergoing psychological counseling to overcome this, Shim Eun-woo still complains of chest pain and frustration. Recently, he has developed tics, severely deteriorating his health. The psychological suffering inflicted upon Shim Eun-woo's family is likewise considerable and beyond description. Despite this, there are many around Shim Eun-woo who support him in his repeated attempts to survive.

Once again, I sincerely request that the spreading of unfounded falsehoods cease, allowing Shim Eun-woo to escape the distortions of his past and live on without further misunderstandings and accusations, enabling him to regain his courage.

I sincerely thank everyone for reading this letter until the end.

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