Actress Lee Na-eun stood before reporters for the first time in about six years. Lee Na-eun, who suffered greatly from controversies over alleged school bullying, rumors of a relationship with Lee Kang-in, and criticism for defending travel creator GwakTube, said she was nervous and excited, but added that she approached the project with a sense of responsibility.
Lee Na-eun debuted in 2015 as a member of the group APRIL. While carrying out group activities and acting, she gained attention for her role as the female lead in the MBC drama "Extraordinary You", which aired in 2019, and APRIL was reexamined and seemed to enter its heyday thanks to Lee Na-eun's popularity.
But in 2020, former APRIL member Lee Hyun-joo alleged she had been bullied by other members, casting a shadow over Lee Na-eun's future. After allegations of school violence surfaced, Lee Na-eun withdrew from scheduled projects, and her agency contract expired during that period. Later, the netizen who raised the school violence allegations was found guilty of defamation for spreading false information, clearing her of the school violence controversy, and prosecutors decided not to indict on the bullying controversy, but public opinion remained cold. She resumed activities after finding a new agency, but faced harsh criticism as rumors of a relationship with Lee Kang-in and controversy over defending travel creator GwakTube arose.
Having suffered mentally while carrying out activities, Lee Na-eun conveyed her feelings for the first time in about six years. On the 21st, she attended the production presentation for the short-form drama "My Little Chef" held at Starfield Goyang Central Atrium in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Although she had stood at photo walls before, it was about six years since she last took part in a session of direct questions and answers with reporters, which was at the "Extraordinary You" production presentation.
Lee Na-eun expressed her appreciation, saying it had not been long since filming ended and she was glad to meet the director and actors through the production presentation, and posed on the photo wall. As the character is a chef, she struck poses that mimicked cutting with a knife as well as hand-heart and cheek-heart gestures, showing off her idol experience with various poses.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Lee Na-eun said, "It has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to interact with fans and reporters in a public place. I'm nervous but excited. Being at a production presentation for the first time in six years made me nervous, but I was very happy to be able to show a new side of myself," conveying her feelings about standing on an official stage for the first time in six years.
Director Kim Sang-hoon said about casting Lee Na-eun, "Because it's based on Im's original work, I wondered how to portray the character, but at the first script reading I felt that Lee Na-eun was Noma. From her first line she captured the character well, and I thought we could carry the drama with her as the standard."
Lee Na-eun, who plays the chef role, said, "She is a bright and positive character but also has a human side, so I focused on that. It's my first short-form drama, so I approached expressing multiple emotions in a short time with more responsibility. While filming, I felt that Noma and I were different in Noma's perseverance, her ideas within cooking contests, and the way she takes on challenges — not completely opposite, but somewhat different."
Lee Na-eun, who announced the full resumption of activities by appearing at an official event for the first time in six years, stars in "My Little Chef," which is scheduled to be released in December.
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