The ball fired by Song Hye-kyo, the consolation given to Moon Dong-eun who was holding his breath

“It’s not your fault.”

The Netflix series 'The Glory' has brought the social issue of school violence to the surface, and broadcasters are also addressing it and delivering a message of comfort.

The public, who heard about the cruel situation of school violence through dramas, gathered their voices to 'eradicate school violence', and thanks to this, victims of school violence who had been holding their breath are coming out one by one and telling their stories. tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' and Channel S's 'Attack on Sisters' included their voices.

First, travel YouTuber Kwak Tube (real name Kwak Jun-bin) had a difficult time speaking out. He appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' and brought up his dark past, saying, "I suffered school violence in elementary school, middle school, and high school."

Kwak Tube said, "I was very short and last in height. My classmates were always below me. It was the same even when I went to middle school. They told me to buy bread from the cafeteria, borrowed gym clothes or textbooks and didn't return them, or stabbed me in the back with a compass and made me laugh. “I laughed when I saw the pain,” he said about the damage.

He continued, "When I entered high school, I thought I had to go to a high school where no one knew, so I went to a business school far away. Until the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I was first in my class and the kids had a lot of fun with me. But about halfway through, someone in my class told a kid in middle school that my nickname was ' "I heard that I was a beggar. I thought my heart was sinking. It felt like the world was falling apart. I thought it was enough to stop that," he said, explaining why he decided to drop out.

At the same time, Kwak Tube said, "It's embarrassing to talk about this in Korea. When you say you've suffered school violence, people usually blame the person who caused it. There are many perpetrators, but only a small number of victims are victims. Victims look for the cause in themselves. They say it's never their fault. “I hope you think about it,” he said, giving sincere advice to victims who have experienced the same pain.

Following Kwak Tube, ordinary people also showed courage. On Channel S's 'Attack on Sisters' to be aired on the 7th, 31-year-old Park Seong-min started by saying, "My friends said it was like my story after watching 'The Glory'." Seongmin said, "When I was in my second or third year of middle school, I got beaten a lot and got burned with a curling iron. Two people bullied me. I was tied up once. At first, I borrowed 500 to 700 won each, but then I started borrowing money for more and more absurd reasons. “I was extorted. The frequency increased and the amount increased,” he confessed.

In particular, Seongmin was shocked when he revealed that he had been tortured with a curling iron by Moon Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo) in 'The Glory'. Showing the scars on his body, he cried and said, "I still have marks on my right arm from second-degree burns. I held my right arm and burned it with a heated iron for about 5 minutes."

The perpetrators' evil deeds did not end here. Mr. Seongmin said, "When I was in a bad mood, I stabbed everything I could find on my body with a sharp fork. I threw something like a plastic pipe in my hand, but it accidentally hit my face and tore my iris. There were always bruises on my face and body." In addition, it was shocking to hear that he was once imprisoned by the perpetrators for three days.

Because of this, Seongmin confessed that he was having great difficulties in life, such as not being able to sleep due to extreme trauma just by looking at the curling iron. What was more shocking was the mild punishment given to the perpetrators and the statement that they were living well as members of society. Regarding the current status of the perpetrators, Seongmin responded, "They sponsored a charity organization or obtained a nurse's license or a social worker's license. That makes me very angry and horrified."

Seongmin repeatedly emphasized, “The thing I hear most from adults is, ‘Isn’t this what happened to you because you deserved it?’ and I want to say that I did nothing wrong.”

Kwak Tub quietly shared his painful story while shedding tears to the point of sobbing, and Seongmin also shed tears, but calmly confessed his loss. It was for the victims of school violence who blame themselves and live in pain. Their tears and courageous confessions gave courage and hope to those experiencing the same pain, and issued a rebuke to the perpetrators. Above all, it resonated deeply in the hearts of viewers and made them once again reflect on the message of eradicating school violence.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr