Popular reality show Heart Signal 3 member Lee Ga Heun has at last admitted to bullying allegations after one year, reported Koreaboo. But instead of apologizing, the model-actress has sued the victim for defaming her, inviting the wrath of netizens. She is currently facing backlash and people have demanded Channel A to remove her from the show Heart Signal 3.
Pressure on Channel A is increasing as netizens are slamming the channel for their casting choices. Lee Ga Heun, member of third season of Heart Signal came under fire after she admitted to school violence and bullying allegations made against her a year ago. She had denied any wrongdoing for an entire year and her agency too had rubbished the bullying allegations.
Defamation Suit Against Victim
Sports Kyunghyang reported that Lee Ga Heun has sued the victim [who had accused her of bullying] for defamation. Lee Ga Heun is said to have a different narrative of the incident. She has sued the alleged victim for sharing her private information with the public and causing damage to her image and reputation. The report also claimed that the prosecution has acknowledged the case and said that the trial is underway.
In April 2020, three victims had claimed that they were bullied by Lee Ga Heun when they were schoolmates. But along with the reality show star, Channel A declared that the accusations of two victims were false and refuted claims made by the first victim.
In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang, the first victim said that though it has been over 12 years the past memories still haunt her. She also revealed that she had met Lee Ga Heun during a school union held after they had entered college. "I met her at a school reunion, and she made it sound like some casual memory by saying, 'I don't know why I did that to you back then.' The school violence she inflicted upon me is still harassing me to this day," the victim told Sports Kyunghyang.
Channel A Casting Issues
School bullying allegations have affected the careers of a number of Korean actors. Recently, Ji Soo was not only asked to leave the drama, River Where the Moon Rises but now the production company has also sued him for losses. Lee Ga Heun is the latest in the list of actors to admit to bullying allegations.
Channel A has not yet released any update on Lee Ga Heun's participation in the show Heart Signal 3. Reports claim that she became popular due to the show and had earned many modelling assignments, including the clothing brand itMICHAA.
Channel A had faced backlash during airing of Heart Signal 2 due to cast member Lee Hyun Woo. He had confessed to have been caught driving under the influence of alcohol on three occasions. Netizens had questioned Channel A's ways of selecting cast members. However, this issue died down after a while.
But currently, bullying allegations are being taken seriously by people, who are demanding banning of actors/stars involved in the controversy. Thus it looks like Lee Ga Heun's issue is not likely to die down soon taking into consideration the public outcry for her decision to file defamation case against the victim.
