Acquaintance of 20 years defends actress Cha Ye-ryun amid school bullying allegations

Amid ongoing controversy over school bullying allegations against actress Cha Ye-ryun, a longtime acquaintance has publicly posted a message of support for Cha.

On Wednesday, a comment appeared on Cha's social media post from a hair salon owner, identified only as A, who said they had known Cha for nearly 20 years.

"I find the comments below truly heartbreaking," A wrote. "Cha is more warm-hearted than any actor I know and is working incredibly hard."

A added: "Cha has always led by example in good deeds and has maintained lasting, positive relationships with crew members over the years. It is deeply unfair that character questions have suddenly surfaced, and it is far too harsh to throw stones at someone's life based on isolated incidents. I sincerely support Cha Ye-ryun."

Earlier, on Oct. 29, a post appeared on an online community forum claiming the author had been subjected to school violence by an actress born in 1985 during middle school, alleging physical assault and sustained harassment. Some online users pointed to Cha based on her birth year and the schools she attended.

In response, Cha's agency said the claims were "groundless" and warned it would take strong legal action against the spread of false information and personal attacks.