The reason why actor Kim Soo-hyun, who is embroiled in several controversies including grooming allegations related to the death of late Kim Sae-ron, participated in the recording of 'Good Day' and appeared in a full shot despite negative public opinion has been revealed.
After Kim Sae-ron's death on the 16th, Kim Soo-hyun was pointed out by the YouTube channel 'Garo-Seo Research Institute' (hereinafter referred to as Gaseyeon) as the primary cause leading to her death. According to Gaseyeon and the bereaved family, Kim Soo-hyun reportedly dated Kim Sae-ron from 2015, when she was a minor, until 2021, and after the deceased was involved in a drunk driving accident in 2022, he allegedly pressured her to repay 700 million won borrowed to cover the incident, despite her struggles after ceasing her activities.
Kim Soo-hyun's side declared that they would take the strongest legal action against clear falsehoods, but the revelations from Gaseyeon continued. Consequently, Kim Soo-hyun's side indicated that they would announce an official position based on clear evidence; however, they countered the claims of Gaseyeon and the bereaved family, noting that Kim Soo-hyun showed signs of severe psychological instability. According to Kim Soo-hyun's side, the claim that he dated Kim Sae-ron during her minor years is not true, and they have never demanded repayment after treating the entire debt concerning Kim Sae-ron as a bad debt.
Kim Sae-ron's mother also disputed the claims. She stated through Gaseyeon, "Sae-ron has never lied to the media. She has never pretended to be a part-time worker with lies, and she was not a child who only enjoyed nightlife with friends. She did not create a dating rumor with manipulated photos. However, Lee Jin-ho and cyber trolls fabricated false articles that dragged the ordinary and promising life of a young actress and her family into hell," and expressed, "We, the bereaved family, only hope that the honor she received as an actress during her lifetime is restored and that the false articles, which are entirely different from the facts, are corrected. We also hope that legal and institutional measures will be established so that the media can fulfill their duties and responsibilities, preventing such occurrences in the future."
Public opinion regarding Kim Soo-hyun, who has been accused of allegations of dating a minor, namely grooming allegations, has been cold. Amid negative sentiment, corporations and brands that had selected Kim Soo-hyun as a model have taken steps to delete or make their partnerships private, showing a trend of cutting ties. In particular, negative public sentiment regarding the projects Kim Soo-hyun is currently involved in has also grown. Kim Soo-hyun is currently filming 'Knock-Off' for Disney+ and was appearing on MBC's 'Good Day.' Even at a time when the controversy was escalating, it was reported that he was participating in the filming of 'Good Day,' which also reflected on MBC and production company TEO. Ultimately, the recording took place, and Kim Soo-hyun appeared in a full shot on 'Good Day,' which aired on the 16th.
However, there was a reason behind this.
The production company TEO stated that they did their utmost effort to consider public opinion even amid tight time constraints. They approached the situation with caution amidst negative public opinion and proceeded with audio recording and sketch filming to avoid overlap with other participants as much as possible, even if Kim Soo-hyun participated in the recording, keeping in mind the possibility of deleting his segments. Additionally, due to the translation process required for overseas broadcasting, which necessitates pre-production two weeks, or at least one week, before the broadcast timing, there was limited time to edit the show again. This resulted in the fifth episode being about 10 minutes shorter and lacking details compared to previous episodes.
'Good Day' stated, "As long as the controversy regarding the participants continues, we believe that the purpose of 'Good Day,' which started with good intentions, and the sincere hearts of the participants, as well as the love from viewers who empathize and support them, may continue to be harmed. The 'Good Day General Assembly' consists of content filmed on Feb. 18, and the content will unfold over the next 6 to 7 episodes. The production team has decided to edit Kim Soo-hyun's segments as much as possible."
Furthermore, 'Good Day' stated, "We will continue to strive to provide enjoyment to our viewers with the remaining broadcasts and ensure that our program can become one where we can be with good people on good days, paying close attention to the hearts of the participants whom we are working with."
Meanwhile, the legal representative of Kim Sae-ron's family revealed on the 17th that they would file a complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho for defamation based on false information at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
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