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Actor Song Ha-yoon faces renewed school violence allegations

Published: 06 Sep. 2025, 14:56 Updated: 07 Sep. 2025, 18:18

Actor Song Ha-yoon, whose real name is Kim Mi-sun, is pictured in this photo provided by agency KingKong by Starship and filed on Feb. 21, 2024. [YONHAP]

Actor Song Ha-yoon, who has denied allegations of committing school violence during her high school years, is facing new claims as additional alleged victims and a witness have stepped forward.

During SBS show "Unanswered Questions," aired on Friday, a former classmate who first raised the issue last year appeared alongside another alleged victim and a witness who said they saw Song assault a fellow student.

The former classmate said that in 2004, when he was a sophomore, Song slapped him repeatedly for nearly 90 minutes at a playground without explanation.

“I was called out during lunch break, and all I remember is being slapped,” he said.

Another individual claimed to have been injured in a group assault involving Song and two others, suffering injuries that required four weeks of treatment.

“A school disciplinary committee was convened, and Song was forced to transfer schools," she said. "It was a big enough incident that everyone in the class knew about it."

Both alleged victims criticized Song for failing to show remorse.

"If she had just apologized at the start, it wouldn’t have come to this," the first classmate said, explaining that his demand for 10 billion won in damages was meant “as a wake-up call.”

The witness recalled seeing Song confront the first student during lunch break.

"Near the back gate there was an apartment complex with an empty lot," the witness recalled.

“Song accused him of insulting her," the witness continued. "When he denied it, she began hitting him with something — I don’t clearly remember if it was a neck pillow or a doll. [...] I still remember [his] face turning red and there was no atmosphere in which he could resist.”

Song’s side has repeatedly rejected the accusations.

Last April, her representatives said she had never met the former classmate and that the claims were fabricated. In July, her legal team at Jium filed a criminal complaint against the accuser for defamation and obstruction of business, insisting that Song never committed school violence or transferred schools because of it.

The former classmate has since vowed to pursue legal action of his own, announcing plans in August to file charges of false accusation, defamation and coercion against the actor.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]