'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' and  ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo' male lead Nam Joo-hyuk is on a hot seat after allegations of school bullying involving the actor circulated online. In a report released by a Korean media outlet on June 20, an anonymous person claims to be bullied by the actor for six long years. He claims that they both attended the same middle and high school and has proof of a picture in a school yearbook. 

The alleged victim revealed that the actor is a member of a Korean school gang called 'iljin' and accused him of several physical and verbal abuse. According to his claims, Nam Joo-hyuk and the other bullies force students to bring snacks from stores, they also throw mechanical pencils from behind, curse at students and hit them everyday. 

The informant also told the outlet that those students who were severely bullied refrain from watching television to avoid seeing the actor and also receive psychiatric treatment from the traumatic experience. 

Nam Joo-hyuk's agency Management SOOP immediately denied and rejected the allegations and released an official statement,

"After checking the truth with the actor regarding the initial report, we have confirmed that all the relevant information is not true in the slightest. We also express our regret at the one-sided report from the media that did not check the truth even once with the agency or the actor before publishing the article,"

"The agency will promptly request a correction report from the Press Arbitration Commission (PAC) against the media outlet responsible for seriously damaging the actor’s reputation through false reports. Furthermore, we will file criminal charges against the reporter of the media outlet that first reported as well as the anonymous source."

Management Soop urged fans and netizens to avoid any further spread of groundless and speculative accusations. 

Nam Joo Hyuk is rumored to star in the webtoon based series 'Vigilante'. Now that the actor is involved in a bullying scandal where it is highly regarded a sensitive issue and hot topic in South Korea. The question is, will the upcoming drama of the actor still be underway or will it go down the drain?