Ahn Gil-ho, the director of Netflix‘s popular K-drama series The Glory, has been embroiled in a controversy over school bullying allegations against him.
On Friday (March 10), Ahn had been accused of physically assaulting a classmate while attending an international school in the Philippines in 1996 by an anonymous user on a chat site, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
“I just find it absurd and unforgivable that a perpetrator of school bullying would direct a television show about bringing school bullies to justice,” the anonymous user allegedly wrote.
At the time, Netflix Korea said it had been “looking into the situation”. Meanwhile, Ahn had denied the claims, saying that while he had studied in the Philippines, he has no memories of hitting a classmate, per Newsen.
However, Ahn has since reportedly admitted to the allegations and issued an apology through his law firm Jipyong, per The Straits Times. Yesterday (March 12), Jipyong released a statement where it confirmed that such an incident took place when Ahn was 17 and studying in the Philippines.
“After hearing that his girlfriend was teased by a group of her friends at school, Ahn got emotional and gave an unforgettable wound to other people,” Ahn’s lawyer Kim Mun-hui said in the statement.
“Director Ahn said he wants to ask for forgiveness from deep within his heart and would like to meet in person or communicate through the phone to convey his apology to those affected,” Kim added.
Part 2 of The Glory was released by Netflix on March 10. The show follows a victim of school bullying and violence who seeks revenge by becoming the teacher to the child of the perpetrator.
