Basketball player Lee Gwan-hee found himself at the center of controversy over remarks in a YouTube video, and the task of smoothing things over fell to the other party, Hong Jin Kyung.
The controversy began with a video titled "Anyone want to watch a review of Single's Inferno 5 together?" uploaded on the 27th to Lee Gwan-hee's YouTube channel 'Basketball player God Gwan-hee'. While watching the dating reality show "Single's Inferno 5," he was conducting a review and mentioned Hong Jin Kyung, who appears as an MC.
He said something to the effect of "I get angry when someone who seems unfamiliar with dating talks about it," and when Yoon Ha-bin, who was with him, said, "You're married and have children, don't you?" he shot back, "Does being married make you better than me? I'm going to get married too."
Even after that, Lee Gwan-hee repeatedly expressed things like, "I understand the other panelists, but I don't really get Hong Jin Kyung," "I don't think she's better at dating than me," and "It's not entertaining." Yoon Ha-bin distanced herself, saying, "This has nothing to do with my opinion," but his remarks continued.
That scene spread quickly through online communities and social media, and criticism grew fierce. Comments followed such as "rudeness disguised as honesty," "it's unreasonable to equate the role of an MC with private dating history," and "targeting and evaluating a specific person on a public platform crossed the line."
On the other hand, some argued for freedom of expression, saying, "It was just a personal opinion in review content," and "not everyone has to view dating reality shows the same way." However, as the controversy grew, Lee Gwan-hee eventually made the video private and stepped back. No official statement came from Lee Gwan-hee's side.
The controversy seemed to end there, but three days later it took a new turn with a social media post from Hong Jin Kyung. Hong Jin Kyung posted the caption "#Single's Inferno #ApologyInferno lol" and revealed a text message she received from Lee Gwan-hee.
In the released conversation, Lee Gwan-hee repeatedly apologized, saying, "She's a woman I really like and I'm sorry I caused controversy because of my mistake," "I think my attempt to be funny hurt her, and I'm reflecting a lot," and "I don't mind being criticized, but I hope I didn't hurt her feelings."
In response, Hong Jin Kyung said, "You called yesterday and now you're texting again today. Stop apologizing," and "I often make verbal mistakes while broadcasting. It's okay," showing she was trying to settle the situation. She then softened the mood with a reply saying, "Hurry up and bring out the real genius and teach me basketball."
Although Lee Gwan-hee personally apologized and bowed his head, it was ultimately Hong Jin Kyung's choice that brought the controversy to a close. Netizens reacted with comments such as "Lee Gwan-hee was at fault but Hong Jin Kyung handled the clean-up," "a truly mature response," and "it seems she revealed it to prevent Lee Gwan-hee from being criticized more," drawing attention.
[photo] OSEN DB / SNS / YouTube
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