Post alleging school violence by actress Cha Ye-ryun restricted under temporary measure

Access to the original post claiming that actress Cha Ye-ryun, 41, committed school violence has been restricted under a temporary measure.

The online community where the post was published blocked access to it Monday, announcing it had been placed under a temporary restriction in accordance with Article 44-2 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The provision allows platforms to temporarily block access to a post for up to 30 days when it is difficult to determine whether someone's rights have been infringed or when a dispute between the parties is anticipated.

The community's notice did not explain why the measure was taken or who had requested it.

The restricted post was published Thursday. Its author claimed that a 1985-born actress who attended a middle school in Seoul — identified only as "School A" — had repeatedly assaulted and bullied them during their middle school years. The author wrote that they "were harassed constantly in classrooms, bathrooms and hallways, and after school were dragged to a nearby building where members of a delinquent group slapped me so hard my eardrum ruptured and my face swelled up." The author added: "Every time I see her being consumed by the public as a healthy image of a good mother and good wife on broadcasts or YouTube, I feel extreme pain."

The author did not name the actress directly, but internet users identified Cha based on clues including her age and school. Others claiming to be Cha's former classmates then offered conflicting accounts, sparking a public dispute over the truth of the school violence allegations.

As the controversy grew, Cha's agency HB Entertainment denied the claims in the post Friday, calling them "groundless."

As the controversy spread, critical comments demanding an explanation and apology flooded not only Cha's own YouTube channel but also the social media account of her husband, actor Joo Sang-wook.

The production team behind Cha's YouTube channel disabled some videos and comment sections to guard against what it described as indiscriminate rumors and personal attacks targeting her family.