Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha actor Kim Seon-ho has issued a statement over a growing scandal over the alleged mistreatment of his ex-girlfriend.
On Sunday (October 17), an online post on the website Nate Pann made by an anonymous user alleged that they were the ex-girlfriend of a celebrity only referred to as “Actor K”. She accused Actor K of mistreatment, claiming that he had coerced her into getting an abortion “on the false promise of marriage”, as translated by Soompi.
Soon after the accusations, South Korean reporter and YouTuber Lee Jin-ho allegedly disclosed Actor K’s identity as Kim Seon-ho, although he did not provide any evidence in his video. “I can also tell you that his agency [Salt Entertainment] has actually long been aware of this,” Lee claimed, as translated by Koreaboo.
Following Lee’s allegation, several companies that had sponsorships deals with Kim had taken down images and advertisements featuring the actor. According to The Korea Herald, the companies include Domino’s Pizza Korea, Canon Korea and Food Bucket, among others.
Earlier today (October 20), Kim issued a statement to South Korean media over the growing controversy. The actor apologised for “hurt[ing]” his ex-girlfriend, while not directly commenting on the allegations.
“Though we were in a relationship with good feelings [for] each other, I have hurt her with my carelessness and inconsiderate actions,” Kim wrote, per The Korea Herald. “I would like to apologise in person, but I am currently waiting some time to ask forgiveness. I would like to say sorry with this writing.
“I forgot about the people who have supported me to become the actor Kim Seon-ho. I would like to, once again, apologise for causing trouble to the people who have worked with me. I know my writing is insufficient for an apology, but I would like to express my sincerity. I am sorry.”
Kim’s agency Salt Entertainment has also issued a separate statement over the scandal: “The company sincerely apologises to the many people who have been disappointed and damaged by the recent controversy surrounding the actor. We would like to apologise, once again, for causing concern over the scandalous event.”
The controversy came shortly after Kim starred in the highly successful tvN/Netflix series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, which recently wrapped up its run on October 17. Also starring actress Shin Min-a, the show is currently one of the most watched on Netflix in the world.