Squid Game’s Park Sung-hoon Exits Forthcoming K-Drama Amid NSFW Controversy
Squid Game Season 2 standout Park Sung-hoon has exited The Tyrant’s Chef, the forthcoming tvN K-drama, after stirring up controversy for posting a pornographic photo to social media.
In December, Park shared to a personal online account a sexually explicit graphic parodying Squid Game. The incident coincided with the cancellation of The Tyrant’s Chef’s first script reading, but according to Daily Tribune, the schedule change was unrelated to the controversy; it was a sign of respect for the victims of the Jeju Air plane crash that left nearly 180 people dead last month.
The actor has since apologized for his social media misstep, saying it was unintentional. “I found a problematic photo in my [direct messages] as I was rushing to go out around lunchtime to go to my schedule,” he told Korea Economic Daily, via Koreaboo. “While exchanging the show’s reactions with the organizer, I think I accidentally posted it to my story while sending it.”
“I, of course, did not watch the video,” he added. “I also do not have another account, so it wasn’t a mistake to try to upload it to a different account. I felt a lot of regret and blamed myself for the inconvenience my mistake had caused. I will carry on with my acting career with a heavy heart, being mindful of my words and actions so something like this will not happen again.”
In Squid Game, Park plays Cho Hyun-ju/Player 120, a transgender woman and former member of the ROK special forces who is enduring the games so as to afford the next surgery for her transition. (Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has explained it is “near impossible” to cast an openly trans Korean actor, due to that society’s staunch prejudices.)
Park was to star in The Tyrant’s Chef alongside K-pop star Yoona; his replacement has not yet been announced.
Mistakes happen, he owned up to it and the rest of the world moved on. But reading about the ridiculous drama surrounding the actor/rapper who played Thanos and how many Koreans are still actively trying to ruin his life—after a self-harm attempt years ago—for the crime of once smoking pot, makes me think that entire country just needs their internet cancelled.
Korean celebrities are held to a VERY high standard. No American actor would last in Korea for five minutes based on the things that do in real life and say on social media every day of the week.
It is insane to me to cancel someone for sharing an explicit video. Maybe I’m so desensitized by the awfulness in US media, but this just hardly feels like a cancellable offense. This actor is very talented and I hope it will blow over for him so that he can resume his acting career.
Not bad at all to consider nudity that harms no-one a nonissue. Your first sentence is correct. This is very puritan, prudish behavior from Korea. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but knowing how they treat women who survived SA to get free from North Korea…I’m not. Not surprised at all. They need to get their priorities in order and learn some empathy. There are real problems in the world, we don’t need to be overreactive or abusive to people for no good reason.
Right? Also I just think of all of the celebrities who have passed in Korea from self harm due to cyber bullying and the extreme standards they are held to. It’s really unfortunate that fan culture there is so toxic. People should be held accountable, but this just isn’t that. This is potentially ruining someone’s career, and again sadly because it’s Korea it could be more than just their career, over a very harmless mistake. But you are so right, it’s sadly not surprising. To care more about this than about an actor SA’ing someone is mind boggling.
These people need to get their priorities straight. Who cares
Everyone talks about North Korea, but South Korean actors or singers are constantly being blacklisted and destroyed over the most minor “moral” issues, Barbie movie had to change the whole trailer and promotion (eliminating anything even resembling female empowerment) to sell there, people are passing out on the street from overwork. What a country…
Korean fans should be ashamed of their behavior, hidden behind the term Korean culture. They are always ready to point the finger at other people and not analyze their own actions by attributing their own inadequacy to others. If society does not decide to evolve, frankly it does not deserve to propose itself to the outside world by not representing a good example for other people.
This statement pains me, but I am tired of hearing news of suicides or tears or whatever for nonsense.
In how many celebrity suicides will Korean citizens stop acting like this? Let the man enjoy his success and move on!
Korean fans treat celebrities like propriety, like they are not human beings. Mid-20s single women have had to go on TV and provide live apologies, full-blown crying, for holding hands with a man in public. That is why, every couple of months, you get news of another Korean celebrity taking their own life.
The Korean netizens have been absolutely awful to poor Park Sung-Hoon over the past year. They harassed him for the actions of his character in Queen of Tears and now this. If you watch any of his dramas he is an amazing and dedicated actor and doesn’t deserve this.
This is really sad,after seeing how he apologized and even said he’ll stay away from his phone I hoped that he wouldn’t back out from the drama but sadly and unfortunately he did,it makes me really sad and angry at K-netizens. They’re really destroying someone’s career and this is why many actors from South Korea commit suicide
He apologized I can see how that could happen and I am sure he will be careful in the future. He is a fantastic actor and I hope this won’t hinder him for I am looking forward to see him performing in other roles.