South Korean actress Cha Ye-ryun is facing heavy online scrutiny following an anonymous post accusing a 1985-born actress of severe middle school bullying. While the original author did not name the individual, netizens quickly identified the 41-year-old actress as the subject of the allegations.
The controversy started on October 29 after a post titled, “Please, I beg an actress born in 1985 who was a school bully to stop her career activities,” surfaced on a local online community.
The anonymous poster claimed to have endured chronic physical and verbal abuse throughout middle school, detailing severe incidents across multiple school locations.
“I was frequently bullied in various places—at the back of the classroom, in the restrooms, on the playground, in buildings near the school, and in the hallways. They would borrow my gym uniform and never return it, and I was even struck across the face so hard that my eardrum was ruptured,” the author claimed.
Following the widespread speculation, Cha’s agency, HB Entertainment, strongly denied the accusations.
“After looking into the matter, we have confirmed that these claims are entirely groundless,” the agency stated.
Despite the denial, the controversy escalated as additional self-proclaimed former classmates stepped forward with their own accounts. Negative commentary also spilled over onto Cha’s official YouTube channel, forcing its production team to intervene while traveling with the actress in the United States.
The production team clarified that comment management is handled independently of the cast, and announced that they restricted access to certain videos and disabled comment sections.
“Comments on our YouTube channel are managed at the sole discretion of the production team, without any involvement from the cast,” the team explained.
“While we look into the matter, we have decided to disable certain videos and comment sections to prevent the spread of reckless rumors and personal attacks against family members. We ask for the understanding of our subscribers,” it added.
Cha, who is married to fellow actor Joo Sang-wook, is recognized for her roles in popular television dramas such as Battle for Happiness, Gracious Revenge, Glamorous Temptation, and Golden Rainbow.