On September 7th, Sangji Girls’ Middle School in Wonju, Gangwon-do released a statement on their school’s website, saying “We confirmed that actress Kim Hieora attended our school 20 years ago, in 2004”, adding “Due to online articles, many parents and students seem to be misunderstanding and having an unfavorable perception of our school that it is a gathering place for iljins and school violence perpetrators. Therefore, we would like to correct false information.”
The school refuted the issues mentioned in the article titled “Kim Hieora was a member of Big Sangji…”.
Sangji Girls’ Middle School stated, “Our school has not had any school violence cases this year. Through personality education programs, we are actively collaborating with students, teachers, and parents to resolve conflicts among students”, adding “Using mentor-mentee interactions, we are developing activities that can improve empathy and encourage communication among students. Also, we prioritize student safety in our education activities centering on student growth”
In particular, the school representative emphasized, “Our staff also confirmed that the reports and interviews mentioned in the article titled ‘Kim Hieora was a member of Big Sangji’ are not true. The content of the article does not match the educational activities at our school until 2023”. They complained of unfairness, saying “It is so regretful that the name of our school and pictures of the school in the background were revealed in articles without filters, which has tarnished the reputation of Sangji Girls’ Middle School, our students, parents, and staff.”
Earlier on the 6th, Dispatch reported that Kim Hieora was a member of the iljin gang Big Sangji during her student days at Sangji Girls’ Middle School. According to reports, the gang extorted money and bullied other friends physically and verbally.
In response, Kim Hieora and her agency acknowledged that the actress was a member of Big Sangji but denied the claims that it was an iljin gang as well as the allegations of Kim Hieora’s participation in bullying acts. As a result, Kim Hieora’s appearance on “SNL Korea” was canceled. The actress will continue doing the performance of the musical “FRIDA” but her interview was also canceled.
Source: Daum