Ju Ji-hoon speaks out about being victim of school bullying
Ju Ji-hoon discusses his past experiences with school bullying. Captured from YouTube channel "Salty Brother Shin Dong-yup"
Actor Ju Ji-hoon shared his personal experiences about the bullying he endured from his middle school years through to the end of high school appearing on the YouTube channel "Salty Brother Shin Dong-yup."
Ju revealed the hardships he faced growing up in Cheonho-dong, Seoul, a neighborhood he described as "wild and fervent." With classes comprising up to 75 students, Ju painted a picture of a crowded educational environment, full of school gangs and bullies.
He condemned the bullies' tactic of using their numbers to intimidate, emphasizing the psychological toll such actions took on him. "It was a wild and bustling neighborhood. With so many students, you can imagine how many bullies there were," Ju said."The real problem wasn't about engaging in a fight; it was about how they used their numbers to instill fear."
Ju revealed that he started facing harassment from groups of students upon entering middle school. "I felt like a coward," he said, expressing how the actions of the bullies affected him.
He shared how he was subjected to continuous harassment by the same group of bullies during his high school years, who would demand his submission with demeaning commands. "They would say, 'Submit to me. You're nothing. Bow down.' I had to pretend to bow, reluctantly," Ju recalled.
Ju expressed relief that his profession gave him a platform to discuss these issues openly, something he views as fortunate considering his troubled past. The actor also recounted the constant harassment he endured up until his high school graduation, where bullies would demand submission with derogatory taunts.
Shin Dong-yup, the host of the show and a fellow entertainer, related to Ju's experiences by sharing his own story of being forced to relinquish his padded jacket to bullies, a common form of extortion among schoolchildren. "If you didn't comply, you knew the consequences. It was humiliating," Shin recalled, capturing the essence of the powerlessness and degradation victims often feel.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.