'Marry My Husband' star Song Ha Yoon sued for $73 million over alleged school bullying
Song Ha Yoon, who starred in the hit 2024 TV series Marry My Husband, is being sued for $73 million (over P4 billion) in damages over school bullying allegations.
The accuser, identified by the surname Oh, said they will file a lawsuit against the actress, whom they accuse of bullying them in high school.
“I am preparing a damages claim of 10 billion won, covering mental suffering, international defamation, harm from false criminal procedures, loss of social livelihood and denial of rebuttal rights," they wrote on an online community on Aug. 25, according to a report by The Korea Times.
“It also reflects obstruction of truth-telling in the public interest, expenses borne as an overseas resident, prevention of secondary harm, the seriousness of countersuits based on false claims and the symbolic meaning of preventing similar cases in the future," Oh added.
Oh also noted that they did not initially want the case to turn into a dispute, saying they suggested another way for the actress to resolve the issue, but the latter allegedly declined. "Now I will cooperate with investigators and file a complaint," they said.
The accuser added that they had paid for their own travel expenses to Korea—including airfare, accommodation, and transportation—and planned to pursue reimbursement through legal means at a later time.
The bullying accusations were first made public in the first episode of JBTC’s TV program Crime Chief in April 2024, where an anonymous sender alleged that a certain actress “from a popular drama series that recently ended” beat them in high school more than two decades ago.
“In August 2004, I was called out to the playground behind the school by a third year in high school,” said the informant, as translated by local outlet Korean JoongAng Daily.
“I was then slapped across my face for one hour and 30 minutes without even knowing the reason why,” the informant, who was said to be in their second year at the time, claimed.
They added that the actor “had transferred to a different high school” after getting involved in another school violence incident.
The anonymous informant did not disclose the actor’s name, but the show flashed a blurred photo of an actress, who “left a deep impression on the audience with her villain role." Social media users have guessed that the unidentified actor is Ha Yoon.
The report also added that the production team of the TV show contacted the said actor’s agency, and was told that “nothing comes to the actor's mind” in response to the accusation.
In response, Ha Yoon’s former agency, King Kong by Starship, said that they contacted the informant but did not receive a response.
They also refuted the allegations against the actress, saying that the informant was a “complete stranger” to Ha Yoon.
The agency also confirmed that Ha Yoon “forcibly transferred schools” for her involvement in a school violence-related incident in the past. However, they clarified that it was not related to the anonymous informant’s claim.
Ha Yoon files criminal complaint
Last July, Ha Yoon's legal counsel, Jieum Law Firm, said that the actress had gathered evidence to disprove the bullying allegations.
The actress has also filed a criminal complaint against Oh for defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc., and for obstruction of business by fraudulent means.
They added that Oh also refused to cooperate with the police investigation about their claims.
"Song Ha Yoon never committed any violence against Ms. Oh during high school, nor was she ever forced to transfer schools due to school violence. She has submitted to the authorities official documents and notarized statements as well as other evidence that prove these claims are false," the legal counsel stressed.
Ha Yoon was notable for her villain role as Jung Soo Min in the K-drama Marry My Husband. In the series, she was Kang Ji Won’s (Park Min Young) “best friend,” who in turn had an affair with the latter’s husband, Park Min Hwan (Lee Yi Kyung).
She was also a part of other series, Please Don’t Date Him, Touching You, and Fight for My Way.
