Alicia Hannah-Kim is finally speaking out about her altercation with “Cobra Kai” co-star Martin Kove.
A week after Kove, 78, bit Hannah-Kim’s arm during a fan convention in Washington, the 37-year-old actress posted an Instagram video on Sunday, expressing her gratitude to “everyone who has reached out to me in the past week.”
“Given everything that’s happening in the world at the moment, I’ll keep this brief,” Hannah-Kim stated. “I was thoroughly enjoying my time at Summer Con. Meeting all of you in person is such a pleasure. A special thanks to Taylor, who was my handler and looked after me throughout the weekend.”
“However, as you can see, this incident was quite serious,” she added. “No one expects to be attacked while at work or anywhere else. I don’t believe anyone would consider this behavior normal, justified, or acceptable.”
Hannah-Kim added, “I just think that when you are confronted with something like this, it’s good to stand up for yourself. It’s an important choice to make. I think it’s the good choice to make.”
She also stated that her altercation with Kove does not “represent” her experience with “Cobra Kai.”
“I think everybody could tell that it’s a really great vibe and a great cast and everybody else is delightful,” she shared. “So I don’t want this to affect your love for the show and feel free to love on it as hard as you want. I just wanted to come on here, say thank you to everybody, and just clear it up and move on.”
Hannah-Kim captioned the clip, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to send love and support. ð«¶.”
The incident with Kove occurred at Washington State Summer Con last weekend.
Both actors were all smiles in footage from the event before things took a turn for the worse.
According to an informational police report obtained by People, Hannah-Kim claimed that Kove bit her in the arm when she tapped her co-star on the shoulder to greet him at their cast booth.
“Martin Kove suddenly grabbed her arm and bit her upper arm so hard it nearly drew blood, and she yelled out in pain,â the documents read. âOnce Martin Kove finished biting her arm, he grabbed her arm again and began kissing it where he had bit her.â
When he was questioned about the incident by police, the “Karate Kid” actor reportedly âadmitted to bitingâ Hannah-Kim but claimed âhe did it out of jest.â
In bodycam footage from outside the venue, Hannah-Kim lashed out at Kove and asked him if he was âraised in a ditch.”
The Korean-Australian had a police officer document the bite mark but she declined to press charges.
Kove, who was reportedly escorted out of the fan convention, apologized for the incident in a statement to TMZ.
“I deeply regret and apologize for my actions regarding the incident with Alicia, a genuinely kind and wonderful person who didnât deserve to be put in this position,” Kove said.
“I’ve always respected her and considered her a highly professional and talented co-worker on ‘Cobra Kai,’” he continued. “I was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior.”
