Will Hanni, a member of the group EXID whose wedding was indefinitely postponed after a patient died at the hospital of psychiatrist Yang Jae-woong, return to television after three years?
On the 8th, Hanni's agency Sublime told OSEN that Hanni is considering appearing in KBS2's new weekend drama "Love Comes."
If Hanni appears in "Love Comes," it will be her first return to television in three years since Disney+'s "Tell Me It's Love," which aired in 2023. "Love Comes" is a drama about people who are family despite sometimes wishing it were not their business or family and wanting to throw it all away, yet remain family; it is directed by producer Hong Seok-gu, who has presented many KBS weekend dramas including "Queen's House," "My Only One," "Oh! Samkwang Villa!," and "Beauty and Mr. Romantic."
Hanni has been criticized for not yet shedding the label of being engaged to Yang Jae-woong. Hanni suspended activities last May after a patient died at Yang Jae-woong's hospital. It became known two months after the death that a person surnamed A had been hospitalized for treatment of diet pill poisoning and died 17 days later, and speculation and claims followed that Hanni, who had promised to marry, could not have been unaware of this, leading her to stop activities. As a result, Hanni withdrew from planned variety shows, but she has not given any statement about the matter.
Having indefinitely postponed her marriage to Yang Jae-woong and halted domestic activities, Hanni continued activities such as participating in overseas festivals with EXID as a whole. She appeared on television again after a long time on Immortal Songs, but that was only as EXID's Hanni; as actress Ahn Hee-yeon, time has stood still. She also had variety activities such as meeting Oh Eun-young to talk over her concerns, but her acting activities have been cut off.
Meanwhile, Yang Jae-woong appeared as a witness at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit and, when asked whether he admits negligence, said, "I do not admit it. It is difficult to admit." He added, "Again, I apologize for not being able to ensure a safe recovery despite your trusting our hospital and admitting your daughter or sibling, and I apologize once more."
The hospital run by Yang Jae-woong, where unlicensed medical practices (violations of the Medical Service Act) by medical staff were uncovered, reportedly received a preliminary notice of a three-month suspension of operations from the Bucheon City Public Health Center. A hospital official was reported to have said there was nothing to announce regarding reports that it was undergoing closure procedures, as they had not received any information about closure, and a Bucheon City Public Health Center official said, "There are currently no closure-related documents submitted by the hospital. If the hospital submits an opinion that it will accept a penalty surcharge, it can continue operations without suspension of business."
Because Hanni has so far avoided giving a clear stance on the patient death at Yang Jae-woong's hospital and suspended activities, reactions are mixed about her returning to acting after three years. Some netizens defend Hanni and welcome her return, while others say she should resume activities only after clearly stating her position.
Attention is especially focused on the fact that Hanni would be appearing at official events if she decides to take the role. As the lead actor generally participates in press conferences and other events, there is background speculation over whether Hanni will state her position there.
Meanwhile, KBS2's new weekend drama "Love Comes" is scheduled to be slotted for August as the successor to "Recipe For Love."
[OSEN]