Hong Jin-kyung sides with Jo Se-ho amid 'gangster friendship' controversy: "I'm a nice person and can't refuse" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Model and broadcaster Hong Jin-kyung has come out in support of comedian Jo Se-ho, who was embroiled in controversy over rumors of his friendship with gang members.

On the 18th, a video titled "Hong Jin-kyung's recent thoughts shared with her 30-year best friend Jo Se-ho (+Jeong Sun-hee)" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Gongbubwang Jincheonjae Hong Jin-kyung."

That day, Hong Jin-kyung said, "Why am I getting so many hate comments lately? I'm depressed. Why are people cursing at me like this? It makes me feel really depressed when I see that. I haven't done anything particularly wrong, but when I get cursed at," she revealed. She added, "If you keep cursing at someone else's life, your own life will get messed up."

Depressed by the hate comments, Hong Jin-kyung declared, "I'm going to retire soon. I'm going to say everything I want to say." She continued, "People's hearts are so different. Just thinking 'I'll retire' makes me feel so much better."

However, she soon expressed regret over mentioning retirement, saying, "They'll probably ask me to edit out 95% of it. They'll say, 'PD-nim, I was in a state of burnout that day, please cut it just once.'"

At the same time, she stated, "This is me. I don't care what others think, but I want to show myself without any filtering on my channel."

Afterward, Hong Jin-kyung met with friends including Jeong Sun-hee for a meal. Regarding Jeong Sun-hee, Hong said, "She went through such great pain, but strangely, people attacked her as an older sister who had suffered. She didn't deserve to be cursed at."

She continued, "Her own life suddenly collapsed, and on top of that, she received unexplained curses. It was like a snail retreating into its shell. No matter what, she couldn't get it out."

Hong also mentioned Jo Se-ho. She explained, "Jo Se-ho is like that too. He's someone who likes people. And he can't refuse. Usually, when people you don't know well ask you for a drink, you say no, but because he's just a nice person, he says 'Hyung-nim, Hyung-nim.' Then if they ask for a photo, he takes it, and that's how they become close. He doesn't know what that person is doing behind the scenes."

She added, "Se-ho is exactly that kind of case. When I told him, 'You should say something,' he replied, 'I won't do it even if I die.' He said, 'People will just figure it out.'"

Hong said, "This time, watching Se-ho, I felt he was so graceful in his conduct. Wasn't he unjustly treated? But he just stayed quiet. I learned a lot just by watching him remain calm until the muddy water settled."

Hearing this, Jeong Sun-hee said, "Staying quiet is the most intense battle. It's a fight against yourself that wants to strike out."

Meanwhile, Jo Se-ho was involved in a scandal related to his private life at the end of last year. At that time, a netizen named A revealed that B, who was identified as a gang member, had a friendship with Jo Se-ho. As a result of this fallout, Jo Se-ho withdrew from various programs he was appearing in, including tvN's variety show "You Quiz on the Block" and KBS 2TV's "2 Days & 1 Night." Although there were no specific criminal allegations against him, Jo Se-ho decided to withdraw as a gesture of self-reflection, stating, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the misunderstandings and rumors recently raised about me."

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*This content was translated by AI.