Actor Koo Sung-hwan drew attention by giving a thumbs-up to I Live Alone despite the controversy surrounding comedian Park Na-rae.
Koo Sung-hwan shared an article on his personal SNS on the 7th reporting that the MBC variety show I Live Alone ranked first in variety brand reputation. Along with it, he added three consecutive 'thumbs-up' emoticons to show his approval.
I Live Alone is the variety show in which Koo Sung-hwan appears. As a result, the dominant reaction was that it was the actor's natural approval of the program in which he appears.
At the same time, opinions followed that the timing was coincidental. The aftermath stems from the recent controversy surrounding another I Live Alone member, Park Na-rae, which has sparked heated debate.
On the 3rd, Park Na-rae's former managers filed for provisional seizure of Park Na-rae's real estate at the Seoul Western District Court. The former managers claimed Park Na-rae had engaged in so-called 'gapjil' such as verbal abuse, special injury, proxy prescriptions, failure to pay hosting fees, requiring constant standby and personal errands. They also accused Park Na-rae of illegal medical practices through proxy prescriptions by the so-called 'injection aunt' and violations of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act for not registering a one-person agency.
However, on the 5th Park Na-rae's side rebutted in a first statement that the former managers raised no issues until their resignation, that despite receiving proper severance pay they additionally demanded 10% of the company's revenue, and that when this was refused they continued misunderstandings and pressure with claims that were not true. They also said the 'injection aunt' was a medical professional who made house calls and announced plans for legal action.
But on the 7th, the physicians' group Seeking a Just Society of Doctors (abbreviated GONGUIMO) issued a statement saying the Inner Mongolia Fokang Medical College Hospital listed on A's SNS profile as their affiliation is a 'ghost medical school' that does not exist even in China, and that even if A graduated from a local Chinese medical school, practicing medicine in Korea would be illegal. Afterwards, A deleted all SNS posts that emphasized being a medical professional and had even posted attacking messages aimed at Park Na-rae's former managers, which heightened suspicions.
That night a Park Na-rae representative told OSEN, "We are currently preparing an additional statement. We cannot confirm the exact distribution time yet, but we are preparing it so you will be able to see it tomorrow (the 8th) once it is completed," and added, "As far as I know, the I Live Alone filming schedule for tomorrow has not changed yet."
Public attention focused on the I Live Alone recording scheduled for today (the 8th). The news that I Live Alone ranked first in variety brand reputation, released a day before, and Koo Sung-hwan's sending of a 'thumbs-up' prompted interpretations that he might be supporting fellow cast member Park Na-rae. However, as of about 10:30 a.m. on the 8th, Park Na-rae's side had not issued an additional statement. Attention remains on Park Na-rae and the actions of I Live Alone.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS sources.
[OSEN]