Kim Ji Soo is a South Korean Actor known for his looks and acting abilities. Before his scandal, he was receiving more and more main roles and was at the peak of his career yet all of it came falling down after accusations about his past started to circulate the Internet. In March 2021, an anonymous, who claimed to be Ji Soo's classmate from Seorabeol Middle School between 2006 and 2008. Accused the actor of bullying them and other classmates. Saying that he had a bigger build compared to other people in the class and behaved like a “gangster”. He made others pay for his cigarettes and often insulted and blackmailed them. The actor was also accused of being a sexual perpetrator and a 'womaniser'.
Following the accusations, many Korean netizens started to come forward with shocking allegations against the actor. Resulting in him getting lots of backlash from the general public as well as negative media coverage. Soon, Kim issued an apology letter on his Instagram, apologising for his past. While his agency, KeyEast Entertainment released a statement stating that they are probing into the matter and will be verifying facts without any bias.
When the scandal broke out, Kim was filming a Korean drama called “River Where the Moon Rises”. This resulted in many viewers turning away from the drama, forcing the broadcasting company and film studio to recast another actor to replace his role as the male lead. Despite having 6 episodes released and 18 out of 20 total episodes filmed.
After the scandal, Kim Ji Soo parted ways with his agency. KeyEast Entertainment claimed that they terminated their contract with Ji Soo after a mutual agreement with the actor. Legal actions have been taken and all of his accusations were proven to be false claims. However, Kim has not returned to acting or had any other activities since the event. Mostly due to his enlisting into the military in October 2021 but it is still unclear if he will ever be able to continue as an actor.
His case is among many Korean celebrities’ bullying accusations which have been proven to be false statements published by anonymous users who have little relation to them. All of this could have not happened without the use of the Internet. The claims started as posts on online forums which then spread at an astonishing speed without having to fact-check the information published. While celebrities like Ji Soo have their careers ruined and them getting cancelled, despite legal actions taken, many of the anonymous users who posted the misinformation face no consequences as they can just delete the posts.
Despite having all of the accusations proven to be false, the damage done to Ji Soo’s career is irreversible. Many have turned away from him. At the heart of the scandal, many believed in the accusations and little knew that it is all false. So the public now sees him as a bully and in an ocean of other actors, it would be hard for Ji Soo to return to showbiz.
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