Kwak Tube reveals school violence drove him to drop out, left him housebound for 4 months

YouTuber Kwak Tube has opened up about enduring persistent school violence that led him to drop out of high school — and about being so afraid his bullies would come to his home that he did not leave the house for four months after withdrawing.

Kwak Tube appears on "Blank," an EBS interview program set to air Friday afternoon, where he speaks candidly with Lee Yu-won, a 19-year-old who also left school because of school violence.

The first question put to both guests was: "What was the first thought that crossed your mind the day you left school?"

Kwak Tube answered "freedom," while Lee said it felt like "the golden years of my life, stolen from me."

Lee recounted suffering repeated acts of violence, including having an energy drink poured over their head, and said it had been nearly impossible to find any solution within the school itself.

Kwak Tube said he was struck by how closely Lee's experience mirrored his own from more than 20 years ago.

Kwak Tube said the bullying began in sixth grade of elementary school and continued through high school, and that he had hidden it from his parents the entire time.

After dropping out, he said he received a threat that his bullies would "hunt him down and kill him." He added that fear of them showing up at his home kept him from stepping outside for about four months.

Kwak Tube said he enrolled in a hagwon to prepare for the high school equivalency exam but found even that difficult, because the other students in the classroom reminded him of the people who had bullied him.

When asked what had moved them to start over, Lee and Kwak Tube answered "journaling" and "the desire for revenge," respectively.

Kwak Tube said the drive to become more successful than those who had tormented him became the force that pushed him to take on new challenges.