Kim Hieora’s remarks about fighting school violence in ‘The Glory’ interview re-examined amid ‘Big Sangji iljin’ scandal
As Kim Hieora’s involvement in an iljin gang in middle school was recently revealed, her past interviews are brought up.
On September 6th, Dispatch exclusively reported that Kim Hieora was a member of the notorious iljin gang called ‘Big Sangji’ when she was a student at Sangji Girls’ Middle School in Wonju, Gangwon-do. Big Sangji is known to have extorted money and abused other students physically and verbally.
Kim Hieora reportedly admitted to being a member of Big Sangji but refuted the allegation of her direct participation in Big Sangji’s wrongdoings. She said, “I did not participate in bullying but I guess my name was mentioned because I was with them at that time. Looking back on that time, I realize that I made a mistake by being a bystander”, adding “I’m sorry. I was busy rationalizing myself that I was not a bully and turned a blind eye to the incidents. I want to apologize for that”.
Later, Kim Hieora’s agency Gram Entertainment said, “We apologize for causing worries to many people with the recent sudden news. We are preparing an official statement”.
In the midst of the controversy, Kim Hieora’s remarks in an interview for “The Glory”, the drama in which she played a school violence perpetrator, are brought up for re-examination.
During the interview, which was conducted by Star News in March, the actress expressed her firm thoughts on school violence.
Kim Hieora said, “While watching ‘The Glory’, I realized that it was not only a good idea to highlight the stories of school violence but also an opportunity to create a change to prevent such behaviors from now on. I believe that it is important to change the awareness of children, teenagers, and young people who are growing up about school violence”, adding “Since I have a nephew, I even wondered ‘What if my nephew gets bullied or becomes a school violence perpetrator?. I think many people will have the same idea after watching ‘The Glory’”.
She continued, “I hope those who are currently bullies or are thinking of becoming bullies may figure out that their behaviors are wrong after watching ‘The Glory’ and they should apologize. Moreover, I think it would be better if teachers and parents also watched ‘The Glory’ and tried to become someone who can prevent such issues from happening.”
Regarding the ‘curling iron’ incident in “The Glory”, which was based on a true story, Kim Hieora said, “I was also very surprised to know that. I came to think that it was not just an immature action in a fight between students but a ruin in one’s personality. Many works already dealt with school violence and sexual assault in schools, but I’m glad to see these stories being re-examined through ‘The Glory’.”
She added, “Among the lines of Sa Ra in ‘The Glory’, there is one that mentions the impact of school violence on ordinary people. I hope people like Dong Eun in the drama can gain the courage to take action to bring a positive change in the battle against school violence”.
Source: Wikitree
