As actress Song Ha-yoon denies allegations of school violence, her legal representatives are considering additional lawsuits.
Song Ha-yoon's legal representative told OSEN on the 3rd, "We have confirmed the statement of Mr. Oh (the initial accuser)," and added, "I have received communication that a police official involved in the investigation received the statement from Mr. Oh and made contact again. The police reportedly informed Mr. Oh that 'you are correct in having received a notification of designation and are also on the wanted list.'"
Furthermore, they stated, "In any case, Mr. Oh also conveyed relevant information during the police's contact for investigation, but I have heard that he expressed a completely opposing stance in this new article, leading police officials to display reactions of confusion," noting that it does not make sense.
When asked about plans for additional legal actions, the legal representative emphasized, "We are reviewing the possibility of an additional lawsuit regarding this matter," and added, "We are also considering redistributing a statement through the legal representative related to the new article, or other additional responses. We plan to take further actions shortly."
Previously, Song Ha-yoon gained significant popularity through the tvN drama 'Marry My Husband' which ended in February last year, but faced a crisis when allegations of school violence were posted by a high school classmate. At that time, her agency strongly refuted the claims, stating, "We have never even met the informant, and we have confirmed that all the contents are false." Subsequently, with the expiration of her contract with her previous agency, she effectively suspended all entertainment industry activities.
In this situation, Song Ha-yoon's legal representative, Jiwon Law Firm, stated on the 2nd, "Throughout this period, actress Song Ha-yoon has been working to collect evidence to prove that the claims of the initial informer, Mr. Oh, are false, and as a result, she has gathered multiple pieces of evidence. Based on this, actress Song Ha-yoon has filed a criminal complaint against Mr. Oh for violating the law regarding the promotion and protection of information and communications networks (defamation) and for obstruction of business by deception," in an official statement.
Additionally, it was explained that "The police confirmed the necessity of investigating Mr. Oh's acts of defamation, intending to proceed with the investigation; however, Mr. Oh, claiming to be currently residing in the U.S. as a U.S. citizen, has continuously refused to respond to the investigation. As a result, the police confirmed through official channels such as the Ministry of Justice that Mr. Oh still holds Korean nationality and proceeded with the investigation. However, Mr. Oh has refused to enter Korea and continues to remain unresponsive to the investigation. Because Mr. Oh did not comply with the investigation agency's request to appear without justifiable reasons, the police issued a 'notification of designation' against him around May and registered him on the wanted list in the police electronic system."
Along with this, Song Ha-yoon's side has stated, "Currently, actress Song Ha-yoon is further reviewing possible legal actions that can be taken in the U.S., and she is preparing measures to hold third parties involved in the dissemination of false information accountable both civilly and criminally," adding, "Actress Song Ha-yoon has never committed any act of violence against Mr. Oh during her high school years, nor has she ever transferred to another school due to school violence. She provided public institution materials and notarized statements that demonstrate these claims to the investigative agency," reiterating her denial of the school violence allegations.
Following the release of this statement, that evening, Mr. Oh posted an additional message on an online community and began to counter.
Regarding the non-compliance with the investigation, Mr. Oh stated, "I am currently a U.S. citizen legally residing in the U.S. as a Korean national and have already submitted a written statement faithfully at the request of the Korean police in relation to this case, along with a copy of my passport proving my U.S. citizenship. The reason I have not officially renounced my Korean nationality is that the renunciation process is not automatically linked between Korea and the U.S.; therefore, even if I acquire another country’s nationality, my Korean nationality does not automatically disappear, "adding, "Maintaining my Korean nationality is merely a matter of administrative convenience and is unrelated to this case."
In response to Song Ha-yoon's statement that she has been registered on the police wanted list due to the notification of designation, Mr. Oh clarified, "This is not true. The police have only temporarily suspended the investigation into this case without taking any measures such as compulsory search or immigration restrictions, and I have not received any clear notification regarding the designation from the police side."
Mr. Oh also maintained the previous stance that Song Ha-yoon transferred to another school due to school violence, stating that he is in contact with a law firm in Korea and adding that he is carefully considering responding to the allegation of false accusation.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]