A trending Korean star candidly spoke out about his experience of being bullied in school and explained why he did not name his perpetrators despite being a victim.
In the EBS interview content BLANK, Kwaktube appears and has an in-depth conversation with 19-year-old youth Lee Yoo Won, who dropped out of school.
Kwaktube said the first thought he had upon leaving school was “freedom,” and Lee Yoo Won described it as the “golden time of my life that was taken away.” Lee revealed she suffered repeated violence and was even doused with energy drinks on her head.
Kwaktube explained that the situation hasn’t changed much from about 20 years ago when he himself was bullied, and he hid the bullying from his parents from sixth grade through high school.
Even after quitting school, he reportedly received threats saying, “I will find and kill you,” and was so afraid that the perpetrator might come looking for him that he did not leave his home for four months.
The fear continued even after leaving school. Kwaktube confessed that although he registered at a GED academy, he found it difficult to attend because the students in the classroom reminded him of those who had bullied him in the past. Eventually, he quit the academy after two weeks but took the exam and scored an average of 86 points.
Kwaktube cited “revenge” as the motivation that moved him to start again. He admitted that the desire to succeed beyond those who bullied him was his driving force and recalled the moment he received the Rookie of the Year award.
In his acceptance speech, Kwaktube had even considered naming the four people who bullied him but, once on stage, was first reminded of those he was grateful to. He said the feeling of wanting to repay through success turned into gratitude.