"Suddenly a sister-in-law? It's bizarre"... Why did Park Wi's father take in Park Jin-hee and Yoon So-hee as his adopted daughters? [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As YouTuber Park Wi faces backlash over the "KTX fall incident report," his unique family relationships have emerged as a new source of controversy.

Recently, OnLINE has been drawing attention to why Park Chan-hong, a former KBS freelance drama PD and director who is Park Wi's father, took in actors Park Jin-hee and Yoon So-hee as adopted daughters, as well as the meaning of the term "adopted daughter."

First, the term "adopted child" uses the characters for "receive" () and "raise" (), referring to a child who is raised with love even if they do not share blood ties or have gone through formal adoption procedures. When the adopted person is someone else's daughter, it is called an "adopted daughter," and when it is someone else's son, it is called an "adopted son." It is a concept distinct from "adoption," which establishes a legal family relationship with another person's child.

"Adopted children" emerged from social and cultural necessities to maintain bloodline-centered family lineages and protect the family community throughout history. There were cases where adopted children were taken in to prevent a family line from dying out, as well as cases where relatives took in and raised orphaned children who had lost their parents due to war, Kia, or illness. Additionally, taking in the children of close acquaintances or benefactors as adopted children served to strengthen the bond between two families.

Director Park Chan-hong, who has two adopted daughters, took in Park Jin-hee as his adopted daughter after she appeared in the KBS 2TV drama "Bidanhyangkkotmu" (Silk Fragrance), which he directed in 2001. After her father passed away early, Park Jin-hee called Director Park Chan-hong "father" and maintained a special relationship akin to that of a real father and daughter. Director Park Chan-hong also gave a congratulatory speech at Park Jin-hee's wedding.

Director Park Chan-hong later formed a connection with Yoon So-hee after she appeared in the tvN drama "Memory," and has maintained a close relationship with her family, treating them like immediate family for a long period. Yoon So-hee's role as an adopted daughter was revealed in a video titled "First Chuseok Spent at My In-Laws' House," which Park Wi released on his YouTube channel "Wiacle" in September 2024.

In this video, Yoon So-hee arrived at the Park Chan-hong household first and greeted Park Wi and Song Ji-eun in comfortable attire. Park Wi drew attention by mentioning Yoon So-hee before his wife, Song Ji-eun, during the pre-meal prayer. It was also considered strange that the tableware set placed on the dining table consisted of two sets each for Park Wi and Yoon So-hee, and two for Park Wi's parents, leaving Song Ji-een to use different tableware alone. Park Wi's parents were also seen praising Yoon So-hee by saying she is "smart," rather than offering praise to Song Ji-eun.

At the time, Yoon So-hee referred to herself as Song Ji-eun's "new sister-in-law," and Song Ji-eun said, "I have so many real sisters-in-law, including Jin-hee-unni and Ms. So-hee." In response, Park Wi's mother said, "But my sisters-in-law are really nice."

Meanwhile, on August 21, Park Wi released CCTV footage on his YouTube channel showing him falling over with his wheelchair after tripping over the foot of a social service worker while getting off the KTX. Park Wi stated, "The social service worker did not do it intentionally, but I was angry at the very act of placing their foot on the ramp." The social service worker reportedly apologized to Park Wi immediately after the incident, but Park Wi faced criticism for releasing the video with that apology edited out.

As the controversy grew, Park Wi apologized, saying, "I failed to consider the position of the staff member who did their best to help me and apologized politely," and announced a suspension of his YouTube activities. Subsequently, a scheduled lecture was canceled, and he voluntarily resigned from his position as a Seoul city ambassador.

Park Wi married Song Ji-eun, a former member of the group SECRET, in October 2024.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original