On February 24 KST, Lee Bum Soo's agency Big Punch Entertainment announced that the internal investigation by Shinhan University regarding accusations of power abuse raised against the actor have concluded.
The agency relayed, "A thorough investigation from multiple angles was conducted to investigate the controversy surrounding Lee Bum Soo, a professor at Shinhan University, based on information by an anonymous individual. However, no substantial evidence has been found, and investigators of the student union have found no other reliable accusations from any members of the student body."
The agency continued, "Ever since the founding of Shinhan University in 2012, Lee Bum Soo has devoted him greatest efforts to the university's performing arts department as its dean for the past 8 years, establishing the department's curriculum and recording an impressive competitive enrollment of 1 of every 50 applicants. Then, after becoming embroiled in a great controversy all because of one anonymous online post which eventually led to the indiscreet spread of various rumors and false information, Lee Bum Soo endured firmly while complying diligently with all investigations.
Finally, the agency revealed, "Upon learning that the initial accusation was false during the course of the investigation, Lee Bum Soo submitted a letter of resignation. The university, confirming that the resignation was submitted through proper procedure, has accepted the resignation. Lee Bum Soo is currently focussing on his acting career, with a film and a streaming service series set for release soon, and filming for a new project scheduled in the near future. For now, Lee Bum Soo has carefully come to the decision that it would be best for him to devote himself to his acting."
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Whether there was any truth to the allegations or not (since the accuser never came forward), I honestly don't blame him for resigning. This scandal could have tanked his career, especially with how severe the accusations were of him playing favorites and essentially not doing his job. It seems likely that someone just got bitter because they weren't a favorite and tried to give him some payback. But once the investigation started and nothing really caught fire from the initial allegations, they quietly left it so they wouldn't be exposed, especially once the other students corroborated that no such environment took place there. Cancel culture has become a scary thing, so him being concerned with the future of his acting career is totally understandable.
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