Poppin Hyunjoon. YouTube screenshot

Dancer Poppin Hyunjoon (46, legal name Nam Hyun-jun) has been engulfed in allegations that he assaulted a member of his dance team in the past.

On the 15th, JTBC ‘Case Chief’ reported a tip from A, who claimed to have been assaulted by Poppin Hyunjoon 20 years ago.

A said, “We were beaten very often,” and claimed, “(Poppin Hyunjoon) hit with his fist and kicked. I was also slapped, and the glasses I was wearing bent. My ear was struck in the wrong way, damaging my eardrum, and for a while one ear did not hear well.”

A went on to assert that during a regional performance he was not informed of a sudden choreography change, made a mistake, and was assaulted by Poppin Hyunjoon as a result. A said, “On the way back from a regional show, he kept hitting me at a rest area, saying I had messed up the choreography,” and, “When a passerby tried to stop him, saying, ‘Everyone is watching, do not do that,’ he left me there and went up to Seoul.”

Another tipster, B, said he abandoned his dream of becoming a dancer after being assaulted by Poppin Hyunjoon at age 17, recounting, “At the time, Poppin Hyunjoon had a broken arm. I did my best in my own way, but something must not have been to his liking. He suddenly came over and hit my face with the arm in a cast,” and, “After being hit, my knee slammed into the ground and fluid began to accumulate in it.”

B said, “My discipline was b-boying, which heavily uses the joints, and it was impossible not to put my knees on the ground. But I was told to rest. I had a compulsion to practice every day, and not being able to do so left me wandering. In the end, I quit dancing after that.”

There were three informants in total. Informant C said there were many instances of verbal abuse and assault over trivial matters such as ‘because a junior brought a hot drink,’ ‘because he did not like the side dishes,’ and ‘because someone behaved rudely.’

The informants said in unison, “At the time, if you were marked by Poppin Hyunjoon, you could not survive in that scene, so we could not speak about this harm.”

Poppin Hyunjoon denied these allegations. He told ‘Case Chief’, “How could I hit someone with an injured arm? My elbow was severely fractured, and even now I cannot fully extend my arm, so how could I have hit anyone?” and denied it, adding, “I am good at swearing, but because I am small in build, I do not use violence much.”

Meanwhile, Poppin Hyunjoon recently stepped down from his visiting professorship in the Department of Practical Dance at Baekseok Arts University over inappropriate remarks and behavior toward students, including the use of profanity. In the past, Poppin Hyunjoon swept global competitions and is a pivotal figure who brought b-boy dance to the surface of popular culture. He married gugak performer Park Ae-ri in 2011, and they have one daughter.

Screen capture from ‘Case Chief’

Screen capture from ‘Case Chief’