Former X1 member under fire for alleged school bullying

By Lee Hyo-jin

X1's former member Cha Jun-ho. Capture from Instagram

Cha Jun-ho, 18, a former member of K-pop boy band X1, is under fire for his alleged school violence six years ago.

The speculation started with several tweets posted on Tuesday by Twitter user “RuHwa_180,” who claimed to be Cha's former classmate at Dukmyung Elementary School in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province.

“I was constantly bullied by Cha Jun-ho and his female friends in my 5th grade,” the tweet said. “Even our homeroom teacher was aware of it.”

Through several tweets, the accuser said Cha also used to verbally abuse and insult other classmates. The alleged victim added screen captures of Kakao Talk messages and photos from the yearbook as evidence.

Twitter user “RuHwa_180” tweeted Tuesday that he was a victim of Cha Jun-ho's bullying at Dukmyung Elementary School in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province. Screen Capture from Twitter

As the postings went viral through Twitter and other social media platforms, internet users demanded a response from Cha, 18.

The singer's agency denied all accusations. It also vowed to take strong legal action.

Woollim Entertainment said in an official statement on Tuesday: “We have confirmed that there is some false information spreading online regarding our trainee Cha Jun-ho. The agency has immediately checked and clarified that none of them are true.

“We plan to take strong legal action against false claims and malicious rumors to protect our artist.”

Cha is a former contestant on Mnet's TV competition show “Produce X 101.” He became a member of the project group X1 after he ranked ninth in the final. The group debuted last August.

But X1 announced its disbandment in January after the “Produce” series was investigated for alleged vote rigging.