Park Seong-hoon Addresses Controversy Over Inappropriate Post

Actor Park Seong-hoon has issued a further explanation regarding the controversy surrounding his recent social media post. On December 30, he shared a parody cover of the 'Squid Game' series featuring Japanese adult content, which sparked outrage among fans. The image displayed explicit content, including a woman's breasts and graphic sexual scenes, leading to immediate backlash. Although Park deleted the post shortly after uploading it, it quickly spread across online communities.

Fans expressed their disappointment, especially since Park had recently gained acclaim for his role as a transgender character, Hyun-joo, in 'Squid Game Season 2,' which premiered on December 26. Many were shocked that he would share a parody that mocked the very series he starred in, particularly one that depicted non-consensual situations.

The situation was exacerbated by the national mourning period declared after the tragic Jeju Air incident on December 29, which has led many public figures to share condolences on their official accounts. This context heightened the impact of Park's post.

In response to the growing controversy, a representative from his agency, BH Entertainment, stated, "Park Seong-hoon has been receiving numerous direct messages on social media. In the process of checking these messages, he accidentally uploaded the inappropriate image. He was shocked and embarrassed and deleted it quickly." The agency expressed regret for the incident, especially during a national mourning period, and assured that they would take extra precautions to prevent such mistakes in the future.

Despite the agency's explanation, many netizens found it hard to accept. They pointed out that sharing a post via direct message would typically include the original poster's account, suggesting that Park had uploaded the image directly after saving it, which involves multiple steps, making it unlikely to be a simple mistake.

As the backlash intensified, the agency provided additional clarification, stating, "It seems he saved the image to send to a company representative because he thought it might be problematic. Unfortunately, it was mistakenly posted on social media. The actor is very upset and surprised by the situation and is reflecting on it deeply."

Meanwhile, Park Seong-hoon is set to star in the upcoming tvN drama 'The Tyrant's Chef,' scheduled to air in the second half of next year. The series is based on the web novel 'Surviving as the Chef of King Yeonsan' and follows a chef who time-travels to meet a tyrannical king known for his culinary expertise. In the drama, Park plays the role of the tyrant king, while Lim Yoona portrays the time-traveling chef, leading to a romantic storyline. However, following the controversy over his post, there are growing calls for him to step down from the project. While some fans have shown understanding towards the agency's explanations, it is clear that Park's image has taken a significant hit.