Actor Park Sung-hoon speaks during a press conference for the Netflix series "Squid Game" Season 2 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By KTimes
Actor Park Sung-hoon has stepped down from his role in the upcoming tvN drama "The Tyrant’s Chef" following backlash over a recent explicit photo he posted on his social media account.
Studio Dragon, the production company behind the series, released a statement on Sunday confirming Park’s exit. “After extensive discussions between the production team and Park Sung-hoon, it was decided that he would not participate in this project,” it said.
“Both Park Sung-hoon and his agency have issued multiple apologies regarding the recent incident. After careful deliberation, the production team and the actor decided to go their separate ways.”
The controversy began on Dec. 30, when Park shared a photo on social media parodying the Netflix series "Squid Game," which was from a Japanese adult video and featured explicit nudity, sparking immediate backlash.
Although Park deleted the post shortly after, the damage was done. His agency, BH Entertainment, explained to the press that the post was accidentally uploaded after Park mistakenly pressed the wrong button while handling a direct message he received.
The agency said that the image was downloaded while being forwarded to company personnel to assess its appropriateness.
During an interview for "Squid Game" Season 2 on Jan. 8, Park also issued an apology, saying, “I sincerely apologize for the great mistake I made recently, which caused discomfort and concern to many people.”
"The Tyrant’s Chef" is a fantasy romance drama about a French restaurant chef who travels through time and encounters a gourmet tyrant, leading to an intriguing tale. It is one of tvN’s most anticipated series of the year.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.