Ok Joo-hyun, the reason she brought up the 4th-year-old 'Ok-jangpan incident' with Kim Ho-young: "Left the work due to the frame... separate from professional ethics" [Full Text]

*This content was translated by AI.

Musical actress Ok Joo-hyun, formerly of the group Finkle, explained why she regrets withdrawing her lawsuit against musical actor Kim Ho-young.

On the 8th, Ok Joo-hyun posted a long message on her Instagram, saying, "Thank you for reading this lengthy post."

She stated, "It took a long time to write this. Some may think this is old news, and others may wonder why I am bringing it up now," referencing the recent re-examination of the 'Ok-jangpan incident' caused by Kim Ho-young in 2022 through her fan communication platform Bubble.

Recently, Ok Joo-hyun revealed a conversation she had with Kim Ho-young: "I never received an apology from (Kim Ho-young). He said, 'Thank you for dropping the lawsuit. But I never criticized you once,' and also explained that he was promoting his friend's father's floor mats." She further confessed, "What I regret most after this incident is withdrawing the lawsuit. The advertising company suffered significant damage, and my nickname changed from 'Ok-sikrim' or 'Ok-korn' to 'Ok-jangpan' over a long period. It is sad."

Ok Joo-hyun added, "At that time, I did not want to escalate the controversy further, so I withdrew the lawsuit. After hearing explanations such as 'I never criticized you even once' and 'The post was made to promote my friend's father's floor mats,' I decided not to discuss this issue any further. However, the frame did not disappear with time."

She continued, "I remained silent because I did not want to harm the work, the production company, or my colleagues. For many years within the musical genre, I endured while striving to deliver the best effort and performance I could. Yet, the 'Ok-jangpan' frame, which started from one person's words, became a nickname attached to my name, and for a long time afterward, I had to endure the suspicions, mockery, and criticism generated by that phrase."

Ok Joo-hyun said, "That remark did not end as a simple joke or incident. It actually affected my image, advertisements, and work activities. Even when deciding whether to accept or drop a role, I worried that the frame might become a burden for others." She added, "Eventually, I made the decision to leave a work for everyone's sake because I did not want to cause further harm to the production. In that process, I felt ashamed of being part of this musical society, which is why I opened my heart to my fans."

She also stated, "What I seek is not merely an emotional dispute. However, if that remark was truly not directed at me, why did so many people think of me? And why has there never been a single explanation in public regarding the damage and hurt caused by it?" She appealed, "I hope my name will no longer be consumed as a mockery called 'Ok-jangpan'."

In 2022, Kim Ho-young made a statement on his SNS: "Asari-pan is old news. Now it's Ok-jangpan." This sparked speculation that Kim was implying nepotism casting in the musical 'Elisabeth' by likening Ok Joo-hyun to 'Ok-jangpan.' In response, Ok Joo-hyun's side denied the nepotism casting allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against Kim Ho-young before withdrawing it.

Although Ok Joo-hyun was reported to have reconciled with Kim Ho-young at that time, she recently brought the 'Ok-jangpan incident' back into the spotlight, drawing public criticism for acting unprofessionally.

It took a long time to write this post.

Some may think this is old news, and others may wonder why I am bringing it up now.

For a while, I thought staying silent and pretending everything was fine was the best approach. I have shared my position through multiple interviews and articles. However, I felt that what truly compelled me to speak those words, and what I endured during that time, were not properly conveyed.

At that time, I withdrew the lawsuit because I did not want to escalate the controversy further. After hearing explanations such as 'I never criticized you even once' and 'The post was made to promote my friend's father's floor mats,' I decided not to discuss this issue any further. However, the frame did not disappear with time.

Nevertheless, I remained silent because I did not want to harm the work, the production company, or my colleagues. Currently, I am not affiliated with any production or company. I believe this is a time when I can speak solely as actress Ok Joo-hyun. That is why today, I wish to express my position directly.

For many years within the musical genre, I endured while striving to deliver the best effort and performance I could. Yet, the 'Ok-jangpan' frame, which started from one person's words, became a nickname attached to my name, and for a long time afterward, I had to endure the suspicions, mockery, and criticism generated by that phrase.

That remark did not end as a simple joke or incident. It actually affected my image, advertisements, and work activities. Even when deciding whether to accept or drop a role, I worried that the frame might become a burden for others.

Eventually, I made the decision to leave a work for everyone's sake because I did not want to cause further harm to the production. In that process, I felt ashamed of being part of this musical society, which is why I opened my heart to my fans. This was a matter separate from professional ethics.

For some, this may be an old story that has accumulated fatigue. But for me, it left deep wounds on my life and career as an actress.

What I seek is not merely an emotional dispute. However, if that remark was truly not directed at me, why did so many people think of me? And why has there never been a single explanation in public regarding the damage and hurt caused by it?

I also had moments where I was emotionally imprudent, and I am reflecting on those parts. I hope my name will no longer be consumed as a mockery called 'Ok-jangpan'.

And I hope you understand that this incident was not merely a nickname or meme, but something that actually impacted an actress's life, stage, and career.

I wish to be evaluated as an actress on stage in the future. And today, this post is finally my own voice telling the story I could not share before.

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*This content was translated by AI.