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A file photo of\u00a0Stanford University.<\/p>\n
DenisTangneyJr\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Amid a\u00a0blockbuster run of shows at Stanford Stadium<\/a>, one of the members of BTS is going viral for replicating an iconic scene in K-pop history on the Bay Area college\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n The spot, near Stanford Graduate School of Education, became known as the \u201cCrying Tree\u201d after Cardinal alum Daniel Lee, better known by his stage name Tablo, wept there during a scandal that nearly ended his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n NOT NAMJOON ACTUALLY GOING TO THE STANFORD ‘CRYING TREE’ LKE HE PROMISED TO TABLO AND EVEN DRESSED UP LIKE HIM LMAOO\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d pic.twitter.com\/HyuynUU6IF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Carolyne\ud83c\udf31\u2077\u207c\u00b9 (@mhereonlyforbts) May 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Tablo\u00a0was born in South Korea and raised in Canada; a writing genius, he was admitted to Stanford in 1998 and simultaneously finished a bachelor\u2019s in English literature and master\u2019s in creative writing in just four years. After completing his education, he moved back to Korea and and began making hits with his friends DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin in the group Epik High. The trio became superstars, setting records as a groundbreaking Korean act<\/a> before BTS even debuted. Then, it all came crashing down.<\/p>\n A controversy over a rapper\u2019s college degree is almost impossible to imagine in the U.S., but the witch hunt nearly destroyed Tablo. In 2010, he was riding high, personally and professionally. He was one of Korea\u2019s most successful musicians, and he had just married Kang Hye-jung, an actor who was world famous for her role in \u201cOldboy.\u201d But that year, a website called \u201cWe Demand the Truth from Tablo\u201d appeared online. The site claimed Tablo never graduated from Stanford, as it was impossible to be awarded a bachelor\u2019s and a master\u2019s degree in four years. Soon, the site had 200,000 members.<\/p>\n At first, it just struck Tablo as ridiculous. But as the fervor grew, his family became targets. The online mob accused his mother and brother of also faking their career accolades, and the harassment was so relentless that his brother was fired from his job at a TV station. Stanford employees were inundated with emails from Korea demanding to know if Daniel Lee actually graduated.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hoping to quash the rumors, Tablo reached out to the Stanford registrar\u2019s office. The registrar agreed to release his transcripts and issued an unequivocal statement: \u201cDaniel Seon Woong Lee entered Stanford University in the Autumn Quarter of 1998-99 and graduated with a BA in English and an MA in English in 2002. Any suggestions, speculations or innuendos to the contrary are patently false.\u201d<\/p>\n Epik High attend the opening ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 2, 2024, in Busan, South Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n Woohae Cho\/Getty Images<\/p>\n As it so often happens with conspiracy theories,\u00a0Tablo\u2019s harassers refused to move on; they simply moved the goalposts. Faced with Stanford\u2019s statement, they instead said Tablo must have stolen the identity of another Daniel Lee. They honed in on a mechanical engineer from the Midwest who shared Tablo\u2019s name and graduation year, insisting this must be the man who Tablo was impersonating.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI was doing everything they asked and it was never good enough,\u201d Tablo told Stanford Magazine<\/a> in 2011. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized that they weren\u2019t looking for answers, they just wanted to destroy me.\u201d<\/p>\n At his wit\u2019s end, Tablo agreed to partner with a journalist from MBC, one of the biggest public broadcasting stations in Korea. He traveled with an MBC crew all the way to Stanford to show, once and for all, that he was the same man who Stanford knew to be Daniel Lee. Looking onto Meyer Green, sitting on a bench in front of three trees, Tablo broke down in tears. Although he\u2019d proven himself time and again, he believed his career was likely over.<\/p>\n In the months to follow, the Korean justice system finally stepped in. Police learned the identity of his primary accuser, a Korean American office worker in his 50s. The man was living in Chicago at the time, and although a warrant was issued for his arrest in Korea, he was never taken into custody.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tablo\u2019s name was cleared\u00a0\u2014 at least in the eyes of the law\u00a0\u2014 but he wondered if he could ever rebound. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m damaged,\u201d he told Stanford Magazine. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll ever be better.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He pulled back from public appearances and focused on his family \u2014 amid the chaos, he and his wife had a baby girl. Slowly, though, time did heal those wounds. As the members of Epik High became middle-aged dads, they decided to make an unexpected pivot: creating some of the funniest goofy dad content on YouTube. They\u2019ve grown to nearly 2 million subscribers.<\/p>\n Last year, Epik High flew to the Bay Area to tour the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno. As they were wrapping up their visit, Mithra and Tukutz ambushed Tablo with their next stop: They were taking him back to Stanford. Annoyed but resigned, Tablo let them drag him onto the campus and back to the infamous spot where he\u2019d broken down 15 years prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Once there, Mithra and Tukutz surprised Tablo with the hoodie and black beanie he wore in the original shot, forcing their friend into replicating the moment. Afterward, they tried to figure out how to add \u201cCRYing TREE BY TABLO\u201d onto Google Maps, dubbing it a \u201csad tears landmark.\u201d\u00a0(They were unsuccessful.)<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Earlier this year, BTS members RM and Suga sat down with Epik High for an interview<\/a>. BTS\u2019 rappers have long been inspired by Epik High \u2014 j-hope used the same iconic sample at the beginning of his song \u201cOutro: Ego\u201d as the Epik High hit \u201cGo,\u201d and Tablo appeared on RM\u2019s solo album \u201cIndigo.\u201d During the chat, Tablo excitedly asked if they were actually playing his alma mater during their Arirang tour and demanded they pay tribute to \u201cthe most famous place\u201d on campus: the Crying Tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHey, you have to go to \u2018Crying Tree\u2019 and take a commemorative picture too,\u201d Tukutz insisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stay informed, and entertained.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, RM heeded his words, biking around the Stanford campus and taking a photo at the iconic spot. He went above and beyond: He even brought an outfit and black backpack that matched Tablo\u2019s original look.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201comg he actually went to the crying tree,\u201d Tablo posted on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n BTS is in the Bay Area for just a bit longer: They play Stanford for the third night on Tuesday<\/a> before heading to Las Vegas for four shows.<\/p>\n BTS perform at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, May 16, 2026.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Bighit Music<\/p>\n
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