Suspicions of actor Shim Eun-woo's school violence, which were raised two years ago, have been rekindled. Recently, Shim Eun-woo expressed his resentment, saying that his apology for school violence led to stigmatization. A person who claimed to be Shim Eun-woo's classmate during his school days and the older sister of someone who claimed to have been a victim of school violence also appeared.
On the 24th, Shim Eun-woo posted a condolence message on her online account. Shim Eun-woo said, "It's been more than two years since I've been labeled as a 'school violence perpetrator' and a 'school violence actor.' Since the day the drama 'The Glory' aired in January of this year, I've been labeled as the second Yeonjin. “It was more,” he said.
Shim Eun-woo was designated as a perpetrator of school violence in March 2021. In an online community, author A claimed that Shim Eun-woo did not commit physical violence, but caused extreme emotional violence. According to Mr. A, surrounding him with a group of people and swearing was basic, and through false information, he drove a wedge between Mr. A and his close friends. Because of this, Mr. A is said to have had a difficult time at school, having transferred schools several times.
Shim Eun-woo said that he did not remember what happened at the time and that he wanted to apologize, so he called Person A's sister, but Person A did not want to talk or meet him. Shim Eun-woo said, "After that, I looked back on my life every day. When I was in school, of course, I was not a model student. If I had been, there wouldn't have been issues like this. Moreover, I will truly confess, especially in my first year of middle school, I was more greedy, selfish, and jealous than others. “There were a lot of people and I wanted to stand out, but I was a person who was truly lacking,” he confessed. However, he complained, "It is very upsetting and difficult that my entire school days were mistaken for being a perpetrator of school violence, and now Yeonjin, the second member of The Glory who has inflicted cruel physical harm, has been stigmatized as someone like Yeonjin."
Accordingly, Mr. B, who claimed to be Shim Eun-woo's middle school classmate, appeared. Mr. B, who went to the same school as Shim Eun-woo until his first year of middle school and then transferred to Seoul, said, "If the writer (A)'s claim is correct, after this incident, Park So-ri (Sim Eun-woo's real name) and his group prevented the writer from getting on the bus and went to the city. “They say he bullied me continuously for several years to the point where I couldn’t go out. Is this something I don’t know about? It’s very confusing to read that he even transferred schools because of this subtle and continuous bullying.”
However, Ms. A's older sister refuted Shim Eun-woo's claim with an article titled 'Second sniping related to Shim Eun-woo's school violence.' Person A's older sister said, "My younger sister had a hard time avoiding an intangible object for several years. I also want to bring back the difficult times our family went through. My younger sister's broken teenage years probably have nothing to do with you." (Netflix) "You didn't commit physical violence like Yeonjin (the school violence perpetrator in 'The Glory'). But if you had behaved like Yeonjin, you would have been punished criminally," he said.
Person A's older sister also attached a message left by her younger brother. Mr. A said, "I don't know why I didn't meet you and talk to you. Just like in the past, I thought the truth would be buried and only you would justify it again." He added, "It was different back and forth, and you were always nice to the people around you. You bullied me behind their backs. You claimed you didn't remember. “I would, but there aren’t just one or two people who saw it,” he said. He also said, "Forgiveness comes at a time. It's hard even after 16 years, but what are you going to do if you still only think about what you suffered? You'll deny it's your fault until the end, but cover the sky with your palm."
Shim Eun-woo claims that he does not remember, but there are those who claim that he was harmed. Since two years ago, the truth has not been clearly revealed and the battle over the truth continues again. Victims of school violence who inadvertently throw stones for 'fun' may remain trapped in trauma for years. The perpetrator may have even forgotten that fact. If this is the case with Shim Eun-woo, it will be more difficult for the public to accept Shim Eun-woo.
Two years have passed since Shim Eun-woo's suspicions of school violence were raised. Both the incident and the name Shim Eun-woo are being forgotten by the public. It would be even more shameful if he had a hidden intention of wanting to make a comeback as an actor. It should be a priority to properly determine whether the victim, the perpetrator, and the truth of the incident are truthful.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr