Actor Ju Ji Hoon Confesses To Being A Victim Of School Bullying

Popular Korean actor Ju Ji Hoon revealed that he was bullied during his school days during a recent variety show appearance.

The actor starred in the latest episode of Shin Dong Yup’s popular YouTube show, Stingy Brother Shin Dong Yup, which was released earlier today. During his appearance, Ju talked about his difficult school years and described an incident in which bullies would ask him to bow down to them.

Ju reminisced about his early life in the densely populated area of Cheonho Dong, noting that his school had an overwhelming 75 students per class across 19 different classes, setting the stage for a hostile environment ripe for bullying. Due to his big build, the hosts jokingly asked if he had ever leaned towards bullying others himself, to which Ju wittily responded, “If that had been the case, I wouldn’t be here.”

Despite his physically imposing stature, which many would assume could deter bullies, Ju revealed that he eventually became a target in middle school when student bullies began to organize into groups. Ju criticized the bullies’ cowardice, mentioning that they preferred numerical superiority over fair one-on-one confrontations.

There really were kids who hit others. But they didn’t bully me because I was big until we got to middle school, and they formed a group.

I thought it was cowardly. For example, if Ho Cheol and I were friends, it wasn’t about ‘Let’s fight one-on-one’ — it was more like, ‘I’m going to bring my older brother.’

— Ju Ji Hoon

Ji Hoon then mentioned a particular incident in which the bullies demanded that other students bow to them. In a small act of defiance, Ju revealed he would only slightly bow his head instead of a complete bow — a compromise that allowed him to maintain a degree of dignity.

I was bullied by them until I graduated high school. The group would demand a bow, and I couldn’t do that. So, cowardly as it was, I bowed my head just a little bit.

— Ju Ji Hoon

School bullying has been a concerning problem in South Korea for a long time now, with celebrities — including K-Pop idols and the country’s top actors — often being exposed as perpetrators and, in some cases, as victims.