Actress Han Ga-in sighed over an unexpected double controversy.
Han Ga-in faced an unexpected double controversy. The first was when comedian Lee Soo-ji's parody video received a barrage of negative comments for resembling Han Ga-in. The second was regarding her luxury styling when she appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block.'
Han Ga-in faced negative comments for a video in which she shared her daily life. Han Ga-in's YouTube channel 'Free Woman Han Ga-in' featured her driving from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for her children's school commutes and academy studies. The full day of driving, which lasted 14 hours, sparked heated debates among internet users. In response, Han Ga-in noted, 'I specifically filmed it on a day that ends late for YouTube full-day riding.' She added, 'I don't particularly push my children too hard. Most importantly, I don't have them attend classes they don't want to. I make a point to care for them myself and spend time with them, even if it means reducing my work, and I plan to continue doing so.'
Although the video was released in October of last year, it suddenly became controversial in February 2025, four months later. Comedian Lee Soo-ji transformed into 'Jamie,' a parent in the Gangnam district's Daechi-dong private tutoring area, in the video titled 'Human Fake Documentary: Being a Good Child - A Strange Day with Mom, Lee So-dam.' She showcased luxury padding and bags, referred to as Gangnam mom uniforms, while helping her child with academy riding, which reminded viewers of Han Ga-in's earlier video.
Han Ga-in switched the video to private out of concern for negative comments about her children. Lee Soo-ji avoided responding when asked by OSEN, saying, 'Please contact my agency or manager,' and her agency replied, 'This channel is run by Lee Soo-ji personally, so we do not get involved. If it were a production within the agency, we might know, but we have no information about what is being filmed, so we have nothing to say.'
Ultimately, Han Ga-in appeared on 'You Quiz on the Block' and said, 'My first child is in elementary school and my second is a kindergarten student, but they are not attending kindergarten. One day, they said they wanted to quit kindergarten. They want to play alone and spend more time with me, so I told them to quit. I am currently doing 24-hour intensive parenting.' She added, 'I want to take this opportunity to say that other mothers think I push my kids to study and hold them back, but that's absolutely not the case. My kids are not the type to be forced to study. I learned what I enjoy only after turning forty. I haven't tried many things when I was young.' She concluded, 'I hope my children learn quickly. There is nothing better than enjoying what you love, so I hope they have multiple experiences and quickly catch on to what they love.'
While Han Ga-in confronted the 'overzealous mom' controversy, this time the outfits she wore on 'You Quiz on the Block' came under scrutiny. The jacket Han Ga-in wore was reported to cost 6.9 million won, the shoes 1.45 million won, and the earrings and necklace were valued at 19 million won and 6.3 million won, respectively.
As Han Ga-in's luxury styling attracted attention, she captured articles about it and posted them on her personal social media account, saying, 'All of this is sponsored. It's not mine.' Her statement, reflecting her exhaustion from the ongoing controversies, evoked sympathy.
[OSEN = Reporter Jang Woo-young]