‘Physical: 100’ contestant booked by police for alleged assault

An unnamed contestant on hit Netflix reality show “Physical:100” was booked for investigation by the Korean police for alleged assault.

The Gangnam Police Precinct in southern Seoul announced late Thursday that it was investigating a contestant of “Physical:100” and a former member of a national team of an unnamed sport on charges of assault.

The police responded to a report filed by a resident in Gangnam that she was physically assaulted by her partner at 10:50 a.m. on Thursday. Gangnam Police Precinct is investigating the alleged assault and whether a weapon was used during the attack.

Netflix told local media outlet CBS that the streaming service was “in the stage of grasping the situation at this time” and that “there is nothing we can say on the matter at the moment.”

This is not the first time that a contestant of “Physical:100” has been embroiled in controversy. Various local outlets have reported on another contestant, also unnamed, who has been accused of school bullying and violence. A viral post on an online community has claimed that “a perpetrator of school violence is appearing on Netflix,” detailing an allegation that the contestant in question had extorted pocket money from classmates and had dragged victims to a karaoke room to assault them.

Another contestant, a male performer known to be a former dancer and ballerino, was handed over to the prosecution on charges of intimidation in November last year — he allegedly threatened a partner to perform self-harm, according to local reports.

Netflix Korea clarified to the Korea JoongAng Daily that the company and producers of “Physcial:100” are “looking into each case” and that the producers of the show are in contact with each contestant in the three cases.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]