'Single's Inferno4' cast member Guk Dong-hoh offered an additional statement regarding allegations of school violence.
Guk Dong-hoh said on the 7th, "I never take lightly the pain of those who claim to have been victims of school violence. If someone has been hurt by a past incident, I believe those feelings must be respected. However, for a victim's claim to be publicly concluded as an act of perpetration against a specific individual, appropriate fact-checking and verification must be undertaken first. In particular, this is even more important when someone using the title of lawyer makes influential statements on social media through a real-name account."
Guk Dong-hoh said, "The issue is whether the allegations made specifically about me correspond to the facts and whether those claims have undergone sufficient verification. The other party initially alleged that Ms. Moon OO was my girlfriend and that she knew of the bullying that Ms. Moon OO had perpetrated against the other party and either aided or mocked it," and he added, "But this is not true. Ms. Moon OO and I did not date. Furthermore, we were not in close contact nor did we hang out in the same circle."
He went on to say about the so-called "cake confession attack," "I do not even know in what context, when, where, or by whom that incident occurred. The claim that I prepared a cake to join someone's bullying or acted in a confession-like manner tailored to a specific situation, as the other party asserts, is not true."
Guk Dong-hoh said, "If the relationship between Ms. Moon OO and me differs from the facts, I would ask whether the fundamental premise of this whole case should not be reexamined. Also, if that link is not factual, it is hard to accept why Ms. Moon OO would have instructed students at the other party's school to carry out school violence against someone who was not even at the same school," and he added, "From the claims made public so far, the core premise changes or is unclear, and there is a lack of specific explanation even regarding direct acts related to me."
Guk Dong-hoh emphasized, "If I have actually done something wrong, I will not evade it and I will apologize. But I cannot admit to or apologize for things I did not do. I also cannot accept my honor and life being damaged by untrue claims."
In particular, Guk Dong-hoh requested, "First, please disclose the evidence for the claim that I dated or was in close contact with Ms. Moon OO. Second, please provide concrete evidence for the claim that I instructed or aided school violence through Ms. Moon OO. Third, please specifically explain when, where, and what acts I allegedly committed in the so-called 'cake confession attack' incident. Fourth, please disclose how you verified the facts before publishing anonymous tip submissions. Fifth, if there were significant misunderstandings or errors in the original claims, please publicly explain those points even now."
Guk Dong-hoh said, "The other party posted a message as the head lawyer of a law firm specializing in victims that, along with the phrase 'I represent victims only,' effectively concluded that I am a perpetrator of school violence. They also emphasized their expertise in victim representation and ended the post with expressions they commonly use, and that post has now recorded about 550,000 views. From that moment, I feel I was effectively branded before the public as a perpetrator of school violence. I, too, wrote down the confusion and questions I felt in an unsettled state, but going forward I will be more cautious in speaking except about matters directly related to the essence of the case."
Meanwhile, the controversy over Guk Dong-hoh's alleged school violence began with a post on the 3rd by lawyer A. In response, Guk Dong-hoh's side said, "The content that a specific individual is currently asserting unilaterally is not based on facts at all, and I clearly state that I have no involvement in those incidents. False content is causing serious harm to me and people around me," and they issued a second statement expressing grievance.
Below is the full statement from Guk Dong-hoh.
Hello. I am Guk Dong-hoh.
I would like to offer an additional statement regarding recent allegations of school violence surrounding me.
First, I never take lightly the pain of those who claim to have been victims of school violence. If someone has been hurt by a past incident, I believe those feelings must be respected.
However, for a victim's claim to be publicly concluded as an act of perpetration against a specific individual, appropriate fact-checking and verification must be undertaken first. In particular, this is even more important when someone using the title of lawyer makes influential statements on social media through a real-name account.
Many people may accept, 'If a lawyer who knows the law well even mentions a real name, it must be true.' That is why I believe that when someone using the title of lawyer publicly makes claims that can have a major impact on others, stricter and more careful fact-checking should be conducted before making such claims.
The core issue I take with this is not simply whether there was a report of school violence. The issue is whether the allegations made specifically about me correspond to the facts and whether those claims have undergone sufficient verification.
The other party initially alleged that Ms. Moon OO was my girlfriend and that through that relationship I knowingly aided or mocked the bullying Ms. Moon OO directed at the other party.
Specifically, the other party's claims are as follows.
Ms. Moon OO attended a different school than the other party, and she instructed other students at the other party's school to place thumbtacks on chairs, glue locker doors shut, hit heads with badminton rackets, and carry out other acts of bullying.
They allege that I was Ms. Moon OO's boyfriend, that I knew about all of those situations, and that I found such acts amusing or effectively aided them.
They claim that I carried out a so-called 'confession attack' in front of Ms. Moon OO that caused the other party humiliation.
But this is not true.
Ms. Moon OO and I did not date. Furthermore, we were not in close contact nor did we hang out in the same circle. We attended different middle schools, and I was not in a position to know Ms. Moon OO's thoughts, actions, or relationships and act accordingly as the other party asserts.
Then the claim that I used Ms. Moon OO to instruct someone to bully or that I knowingly aided such bullying is hard to establish from the outset. It is objectively difficult to accept the explanation that I directed or aided school violence through someone with whom I had no dating or close-contact relationship.
The so-called 'cake confession attack' allegation is also completely unrelated to me. I do not even know in what context, when, where, or by whom that incident occurred. The claim that I prepared a cake to join someone's bullying or acted in a confession-like manner tailored to a specific situation, as the other party asserts, is not true.
Moreover, the other party initially based several claims on the premise of my relationship with Ms. Moon OO, but after I explained that part, they appeared to accept that that premise was not accurate.
In fact, the other party posted a correction stating that Ms. Moon OO and I were not in a romantic relationship, and then deleted that post after criticism. Although the post was deleted, the other party likely still holds the view that whether Ms. Moon OO and I dated is not important to them.
However, I believe this matter is very important.
Most people who encountered the other party's revelation likely understood that I intentionally carried out a 'confession attack' in front of Ms. Moon OO, who was allegedly my actual romantic partner, to mock the other party, and that this later led to bullying.
But if my relationship with Ms. Moon OO differs from the facts, I ask whether the fundamental premise of this whole case should not be reexamined. Also, if that link is not factual, it is hard to accept why Ms. Moon OO would have instructed students at the other party's school to carry out school violence against someone who was not even at the same school.
The other party has since publicly requested reports about me and has continuously shared anonymous tips. But the existence of anonymous tips and the truth of their content are entirely different matters. What matters is not merely the existence of a tip but how specific and consistent its contents are, whether they are supported by objective evidence or circumstances, and whether sufficient fact-checking procedures were undertaken before disclosure.
From the claims made public so far, the core premise changes or is unclear, and there is a lack of specific explanation even regarding direct acts related to me. Even the name of the person identified as the main perpetrator has been mentioned differently several times.
In this process, I think not only I but also Ms. Moon OO has suffered significant harm. Even though Ms. Moon OO did not date me and was not someone who hung out closely with me, she has at some point been mentioned as if she were my girlfriend and allegedly part of the so-called 'iljin group.'
Since this matter occurred, I have not sought or attempted any separate contact with Ms. Moon OO to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. If communication is needed in the future, I think it is appropriate for it to proceed through each party's legal representatives.
I believe people must stop publicly presenting unverified information as fact.
I will say this clearly.
If I have actually done something wrong, I will not evade it and I will apologize. However, I cannot admit to or apologize for things I did not do. I also cannot accept my honor and life being damaged by untrue claims.
I politely request the other party.
First, please disclose the evidence for the claim that I dated or was in close contact with Ms. Moon OO. Second, please provide concrete evidence for the claim that I instructed or aided school violence through Ms. Moon OO. Third, please specifically explain when, where, and what acts I allegedly committed in the so-called 'cake confession attack' incident. Fourth, please disclose how you verified the facts before publishing anonymous tip submissions. Fifth, if there were significant misunderstandings or errors in the original claims, please publicly explain those points even now.
I am not trying to deny the feelings of those who claim to be victims. But if a claim specifically identifies me as a perpetrator, I say that at minimum the facts and responsible verification are necessary.
Please stop immediately treating reports as facts and publishing them without filtering. No one's life should be destroyed by unverified claims.
This is an event in my life I never expected. I can no longer endure being publicly labeled a perpetrator for things I did not do, and having those claims spread without sufficient fact-checking and verification.
False information has been repeatedly disseminated, and very serious damage has already occurred in the process. As a result, I have concluded that I have no choice but to proceed with legal measures to protect my honor.
I will provide additional comments as necessary regarding procedures going forward.
I repeat once more. I cannot admit to things I did not do. And I believe no one's life should be harmed by allegations made without fact-checking.
Finally, regarding the portion of my previous statement that mentioned whether the other party's disclosure process had promotional intent and that caused discomfort for some, I apologize for that.
At the time, I felt great confusion and shock as the other party publicly concluded I was a perpetrator of school violence with the message 'I represent victims only' and attacked me by quoting lines from a school violence drama. If you consider the possibility that the other party's claims included serious factual misunderstandings or essential distortions, I ask that you also consider what the other party's initial post meant to me.
Without my consent, I was publicly presented online as if I were an extreme perpetrator appearing in a school violence drama. The other party cited lines from a drama about school violence and publicly identified and criticized me.
The other party posted a message as the head lawyer of a law firm specializing in victims that, along with the phrase 'I represent victims only,' effectively concluded that I am a perpetrator of school violence. They also emphasized their expertise in victim representation and ended the post with expressions they commonly use, and that post has now recorded about 550,000 views. From that moment, I feel I was effectively branded before the public as a perpetrator of school violence.
I, too, wrote down the confusion and questions I felt in an unsettled state, but going forward I will be more cautious in speaking except about matters directly related to the essence of the case.
Thank you for reading this long statement.
Rather than responding emotionally, I am trying to respond calmly according to the facts and procedures. I will speak again about necessary matters as the procedures progress.
[OSEN]