Lee Ji-hye mocks 'Ok-jang-pan'.. Supports Ok Joo-hyun, who revealed her suffering [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Musical actress Lee Ji-hye supported Ok Joo-hyun, who confessed to the harm she suffered from the 'Ok-jang-pan' controversy that resurfaced after four years.

On the 7th, Ok Joo-hyun revealed her feelings and the damage she endured regarding the 'Ok-jang-pan' controversy created by Kim Ho-young four years ago through her personal account. Through a lengthy post, Ok Joo-hyun confessed that she has been suffering to this day due to Kim Ho-young's words and suffered significant harm at the time.

Prior to this, Ok Joo-hyun had mentioned the incident in a post on a fan communication app, but as the issue grew, she took action by posting directly herself.

In response to Ok Joo-hyun's long emotional post, Lee Ji-hye, a musical actress affiliated with the company founded by Ok Joo-hyun and known as a junior colleague whom Ok Joo-hyun cherishes, pressed 'heart' directly to convey her support for her senior and close older sister.

The 'Ok-jang-pan' controversy mentioned by Ok Joo-hyun erupted after the casting lineup for the 10th-anniversary performance of the musical 'Elisabeth' was revealed in 2022. With both Ok Joo-hyun and Lee Ji-hye cast as Elisabeth, suspicions arose that Ok Joo-hyun had been involved in the casting through 'connections.'

Amidst this, Kim Ho-young posted on her SNS, "The 'Asari-pan' is old news. Now it's 'Ok-jang-pan'," escalating the controversy. Although Kim Ho-young did not directly mention Ok Joo-hyun, speculation continued that she was indirectly criticizing her through the reference to 'Ok-jang-pan.' The 'Elisabeth' side issued a clarification, and Ok Joo-hyun posted, "Those who spread rumors without facts should be punished," before filing a defamation lawsuit against Kim Ho-young and two netizens.

Kim Ho-young's side explained that the post contained personal content and stated, "We cannot understand that Ms. Ok Joo-hyun judged the situation based only on unconfirmed facts. We regret that she did not verify the facts with us or actor Kim Ho-young, thereby damaging the actor's reputation." As the situation escalated, fellow musical actresses also stepped forward, and Ok Joo-hyun announced that she would withdraw her lawsuit against Kim Ho-young.

However, Ok Joo-hyun brought up this issue again after four years.

In a statement, Ok Joo-hyun said, "Some may think this is already in the past, and others may wonder why I am bringing it up now. I thought staying silent while pretending to be fine was best. However, I felt that no one truly understood why I had to say those words or what I endured during that time." She continued, "At the time, I did not want to escalate the controversy further, so I withdrew the lawsuit. After hearing explanations such as 'I never criticized my senior even once' and 'The post was made to promote my friend's father's Ok-jang-pan,' I decided not to discuss this issue further. However, the passage of time did not erase that frame. Nevertheless, I remained silent because I did not want to harm the production, the production company, or my colleagues. Now, I am not affiliated with any production or company. I thought it was a time when I could speak solely as actress Ok Joo-hyun," explaining why she brought up the controversy from four years ago.

Ok Joo-hyun revealed that the 'Ok-jang-pan' frame became a nickname attached to her name, and since then, she had to endure suspicions, mockery, and criticism for a long time. She added, "Eventually, I even made the decision to withdraw from the production for the sake of everyone. I felt ashamed that I belonged to this musical society, so I opened my heart to my fans."

Ok Joo-hyun stated, "What I desire is not a simple emotional battle. However, if those words were truly not directed at me, why did so many people think of me? And why has there never been an explanation in front of the public regarding the damage and wounds caused by this?" She concluded, "I hope my name is no longer consumed as a mockery called 'Ok-jang-pan'."

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*This content was translated by AI.