(Updated 1:41 p.m.) The director of “The Glory” issued a statement addressing the alleged bullying incident that occurred when he was studying in the Philippines in 1996.
Ahn Gil Ho was accused of being involved in school violence, which he has earlier denied. He previously said he has no memory of hitting anyone.
According to the director’s legal counsel, Ahn had a girlfriend while he was studying in the Philippines. The latter became a target of teasing.
“When he heard that his girlfriend became the target of teasing at school due to him, in the heat of the moment, he got emotional and caused an unforgettable wound on another person,” the statement reads.
The director “asked for forgiveness from deep within his heart to those who were hurt by this incident.”
Given a chance, Ahn said he would like to apologize to the victims in person, or at the least contact them through a phone call.
Meanwhile, in an anonymous post, Ahn’s then-girlfriend clarified that her friends were just joking around saying it did not warrant physical violence.
“Contrary to what people think, my friends didn’t tease me to the extremes. It was more like the usual joking around and bickering among friends…If I knew my friends would be assaulted like that, I wouldn’t have told him about it at all,” the statement reads from an online user that a Korean entertainment news site identified as Ahn’s ex-girlfriend.
How social media users reacted
Amid the bullying allegations, some social media users commented about the “irony” that a person involved in school violence in the past directed a series about bullying.
The Netflix series “The Glory” follows the revenge of Dong-eun played by Song Hye-kyo, a victim of bullying and school violence.
“Now..That’s very ironic actually,” a social media user said.
“The revelation in an online forum mirrors the scene in #TheGlory,” film critic Jerald Uy said.
“A bully making a tv show based about bullying LOL the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” a Twitter user wrote.
Netflix released new episodes of “The Glory” last Friday.
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