Nam Joo Hyuk's school violence accuser classmate appeals summary order, requests formal trial

Classmate A, who claimed to be a victim of school violence by Nam Joo Hyuk, has been fined in a summary order for defamation but has filed for a formal trial.

Law Firm Existence's representative attorney No Jong-eon confirmed on April 8th that a formal trial has been requested at the Uijeongbu District Court's Goyang branch.

Classmate A, a high school alumnus of Nam Joo-hyuk, had informed B, who works at an internet media outlet, about being a victim of school violence from Nam Joo-hyuk's group. Following this, in June 2022, B published an article alleging that A had been a victim of school violence from Nam Joo-hyuk. The article claimed, "The informant had been a victim of school violence from Nam Joo-hyuk throughout six years of middle and high school, resulting in ongoing psychiatric treatment."

Nam Joo-hyuk's agency, Management SOOP, filed a criminal complaint for defamation against B for writing the false article, the CEO, and A for making the false allegations, stating, "We hope the swift investigation will clearly reveal the truth and restore Nam Joo-hyuk's tarnished reputation."

At the time the allegations were first made, A had stated to the press that he told B he was victimized by Nam Joo-hyuk's group, not Nam Joo-hyuk himself, and that the article was not published as described, leading to a request for correction.

Management SOOP initiated a lawsuit against A and B, appointing the law firm Sejong as their legal representative.

The Goyang Court fined A and B 7 million KRW (approximately $5,400 USD)each on March 28th, stating, "A made a false report with the intention of slandering Nam Joo-hyuk to B, and B posted the article about Nam Joo-hyuk."

The court added, "However, it was found that Nam Joo-hyuk had not engaged in school violence such as cutting in line or being a bread shuttle against A during his school years, nor had he bullied other friends by hanging out with so-called bullies," thereby concluding that A and B conspired to publicly disclose false facts, defaming Nam Joo-hyuk.

Attorney No Jong-eon stated, "There are facts that A was initially victimized by Nam Joo-hyuk's friends, not Nam Joo-hyuk himself, and these facts are backed by various evidence. This will be clarified during the trial." He also expressed confusion over the indictment's claim that "Nam Joo-hyuk had not bullied other friends," indicating that this will also be addressed through witness testimonies during the trial.