A Korean-American woman who graduated from a high school in Torrance in the mid-1990s has recently come forward to expose the severe school violence she endured 30 years ago.
The revelation has sent shockwaves through the Korean-American community, as she shares details of the abuse and reveals the identities of the five alleged bullies. Other netizens sided with her by publicizing the workplace and family information about the five bullies.
The accused, all 46 years old now, include individuals working as real-estate agents, teachers, and pharmacists. As the story spreads online and across social media, it has been dubbed the “LA version of ‘The Glory’,” referring to the hit Netflix drama.
In “The Glory,” a Netflix original series from 2022, the story revolves around a woman who was subjected to horrific school violence during her high school years, ultimately forcing her to drop out. The drama highlights the lasting trauma of school violence, as the woman spends years meticulously planning her revenge against her tormentors.
On August 26, a post titled “Perpetrators of School Violence (Torrance West High School, Class of 1996)” appeared on the online community site MissyUSA, revealing shocking details about a series of incidents involving Korean-American high school girls. The events in question occurred in the mid-1990s at West High School in Torrance, a school with a significant population of Korean students.
The anonymous poster, who is now in her 40s, described how she and her friend were subjected to two years of ongoing threats, assaults, kidnapping, and confinement by a group of Korean-American female students born in 1978. She provided a detailed account of the relentless bullying, revealing that despite the decades that have passed, she still suffers from the trauma and lingering effects of the violence. She disclosed that she has attempted to take her own life twice due to the lasting impact of the abuse.
One of the most shocking incidents described involved the perpetrators kidnapping her and her friend under the pretense of attending a graduation party, only to hold them captive for more than four hours, during which they were physically assaulted. The tormentors even threatened to burn down her house and harm her family if she reported the incident to authorities.
The woman explained that she still suffers from the trauma of those years, and a recent chance encounter with one of the bullies—who showed no remorse—triggered her decision to go public with her story. Some of the five alleged bullies are believed to be still living in the Torrance area.
The psychological torment the victim has endured over the years is unimaginable, and her multiple attempts to end her life are a testament to the immense agony she has carried.
Recently, she found the courage to report the five perpetrators to the police. According to the woman, the investigating officer acknowledged the severity of the case and indicated that it could lead to prosecution.
As the victim’s story continues to gain attention, more individuals claiming to be former classmates have come forward to share their testimonies. One former classmate, who proved her attendance at West High School in the 1990s with a student ID and handbook, recalled being close to the woman and her friend.
She remembered hearing about the incident first-hand, stating that the two girls disappeared from school for two weeks following the attack. The classmate also recalled the victims describing how their faces were so swollen after the beatings that they were unrecognizable to each other.
Another woman, who also identified herself as a former classmate, said that rumors of the graduation party assault were widespread at the time. She heard that the victims had been kidnapped and beaten for four hours after being stuffed into a car trunk. According to this classmate, the perpetrators were motivated by jealousy over the victim’s appearance, as she was considered very pretty.
In response to the growing outrage, some community members have suggested submitting petitions to local politicians, calling for an official apology from the perpetrators and demanding they face justice.
Although the case occurred decades ago, the identities of both the victim and the alleged perpetrators have been revealed, and with the testimonies of former classmates, there is hope for a thorough investigation.
Regardless of the passage of time, criminals must face the consequences of their actions. While victims of school violence live with the trauma for the rest of their lives, perpetrators often go on to live as if nothing ever happened—an injustice that has sparked widespread anger.
The perpetrators must issue a sincere apology and seek forgiveness from the victims. School violence leaves lasting scars, and those responsible must be held accountable for the harm they have caused. The time for justice has come, even if it is long overdue.
By Mooyoung Lee lee.mooyoung@koreadaily.com
