Kim Hieora’s lengthy apology letter revealed by Dispatch after her denial

The Glory and The Uncanny Counter Season 2 actor Kim Hieora’s bullying accusations have worsened as Dispatch published an apology letter she wrote months prior to the exposé.

The South Korean actor gained recent fame appearing as one of the lead bullies in Netflix’s The Glory. She also played a villain in The Uncanny Counter Season 2 K-drama. Dispatch published an exposé of Hieora’s middle school years and accusations of being part of a bullying group called Big Sangji.

After news broke of the testimonials from supposed victims and former classmates, Hieora initially denied certain aspects of the accusations. She claimed she did hang out with some members of Big Sangji, but never participated in violence or extortion. The actor did admit to being a bystander.

After the exposé, Hieora’s agency claimed some of the accusations are baseless. They would also take strong legal action against malicious efforts to defame the actor. In response, Dispatch had spoken with the actor months prior in May when she wrote an apology letter.

Kim Hieora admits to having made mistakes in the past in her letter

The actor’s lengthy apology letter revealed she was aware of how she represented herself in middle school, but denies assaulting other students and made a decision to change her life.

According to Koreaboo, Dispatch met with Hieora on May 17, 2023, to talk about the evidence and accusations it had against her in the exposé. Dispatch claims Hieora tried her best to remember the facts and it only published what could be corroborated. The actor gave Dispatch a handwritten apology letter.

Dispatch

Part of her translated letter reads, “I admit that I rebelled when I was an immature youth, and now I am very embarrassed and ashamed of that youth and even suspicious of her when my memory fails me. When I was young, because my name and looks were different, I was teased wherever I went. When, in my second year of middle school, my cousin became a big issue, I realized that rather than being teased and outcasted, I wanted to receive attention. I believe I saw life (then) through an immature lens.”

Hieora explains that she ventured into acting “because, in my heart, I believed I had never bullied or physically harmed someone.” She further explained she got help from a teacher to better her grades. In her letter, she admits she can come off with a scary demeanor.

“That is why my head went blank when hoobaes (underclassmen) from my youth said I was someone they feared… Because I have never hit students or played a role in bullying them, this is something I could have never imagined. This made me look back at myself and self-examine why they thought I was the leader of the bullies and the things that I stayed silent on. I was more shocked because this personality has helped me succeed as an adult,” said Hieora’s letter.

Her letter ends with her saying, “Today, that personality has helped me live life graciously while communicating with and helping those in need or those preparing to become actors. I am not saying I was a kind child in my past. But, although I admit I was immature, I would like to tell you that I have never caused harm to someone for no reason.”

You can read more K-drama news like why Park Seo-joon stepped away from rom-com roles here, and why fans are concerned with Cinderella at 2AM’s age gap between the actors here.