Basketball player Lee Kwan-hee became the center of controversy over remarks in a YouTube video, and unexpectedly the person who resolved the matter was Hong Jin Kyung, the very person mentioned in the remarks.
The controversy was sparked by a video titled 'Who wants to watch Single's Inferno 5 review together?' posted on Lee Kwan-hee's YouTube channel 'Basketball player God Kwan-hee' on the 27th. While watching and reviewing the dating reality show 'Single's Inferno 5', he mentioned Hong Jin Kyung, who appears as an MC, and made remarks to the effect of, "She seems to not know much about dating, so it angers me that she talks about dating."
When fellow cast member Yoon Ha-bin said, "You're married and don't you have a child?", Lee Kwan-hee retorted, "Does being married make you better than me? I'm going to get married too." He continued to single out and evaluate a specific person, repeating expressions such as, "I can understand the other panelists, but I don't get Hong Jin Kyung," "I don't think she is better at dating than I am," and "She's not interesting." Yoon Ha-bin drew a line, saying, "That has nothing to do with my views," but the remarks continued.
The scene spread quickly through online communities and social media, and criticism intensified. Comments followed such as, "rudeness disguised as honesty," "equating an MC's role with personal dating history is inappropriate," and "publicly disparaging a specific person on a public platform." On the other hand, some defended him, saying, "It's just a personal opinion that came out in review content," and "There can be diverse perspectives on dating reality shows." As the controversy grew, Lee Kwan-hee set the video to private and did not issue a separate official statement.
The matter seemed to be wrapping up there, but three days later it entered a new phase with a social media post by Hong Jin Kyung. Hong Jin Kyung posted the phrase "Single's Inferno apology inferno" and revealed text messages she had received from Lee Kwan-hee. In the messages, Lee Kwan-hee repeatedly apologized, saying, "I really like you, nuna, and I'm sorry I caused controversy because of my mistake," "What I said to be funny seems to have hurt you; I'm reflecting a lot," and "I'm okay with being criticized, but I hope your feelings aren't hurt."
In response, Hong Jin Kyung showed she was instead resolving the situation, saying, "You called yesterday and now you're texting again. Stop apologizing," and "I also make many verbal mistakes while broadcasting. It's okay." She then softened the mood with a reply saying, "Hurry up and bring out the 'real genius' and teach me basketball."
In the end, Lee Kwan-hee personally bowed his head and apologized, but the choice to publicly bring the controversy to a close was Hong Jin Kyung's. Netizens who saw this reacted, saying, "Lee Kwan-hee was at fault but Hong Jin Kyung is cleaning it up," "a truly adult response," and "it seems she disclosed it intentionally to stop further criticism," praising her response.
[Photo] OSEN DB, video capture
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