대한민국 national soccer team player Hwang Hee-chan and his sister Hwang Hee-jung are embroiled in a so-called "power abuse controversy" following a dispute with a supercar company, and fierce debate among viewers continues over whether Hwang Hee-jung, who is appearing on SBS variety show Shooting Stars (hereafter Shooting Stars), should leave the program.
This controversy began on the 12th when Dispatch reported claims by supercar protocol·rental company Bahana (UCK). Bahana said it signed a contract with Hwang Hee-chan's family corporation BtheHC and provided 22 protocol vehicles, but alleged that Hwang Hee-chan engaged in "power abuse," demanding vehicles even for unofficial schedules.
In particular, it caused a stir with claims that last May Hwang Hee-chan damaged the engine while driving a Ferrari, abandoned the vehicle and left the scene, and that the siblings had more than 20 minor and major accidents over the course of a year without ever taking responsibility.
In response, BtheHC, Hwang Hee-chan's agency and run by his sister Hwang Hee-jung, immediately issued an official press release and mounted a direct rebuttal.
The agency said, "The reported situations of power abuse and appropriation of free services are completely unfounded," and warned of strong legal action, saying, "We will actively pursue legal measures against malicious dissemination of false information and reporting that exploit a star player's status and good deeds to escape their own economic poverty and to defraud our company's interests, in order to uncover the truth and prevent such acts from recurring."
BtheHC argued that it was Bahana that betrayed trust. Regarding the Ferrari incident on Yeongdong Bridge, it said that arrival of the recovery vehicle was delayed, and they moved after communicating with the company's representative, and that they had expressed willingness to compensate at the time of the accident but the company refused.
It also said that funeral protocol support was provided according to contract terms stating "services are provided to Hwang Hee-chan and his immediate family and the agency," and accused Bahana of committing fraud and deception by using Hwang Hee-chan's portrait rights without permission to attract investment.
As the two sides' battle over the truth intensified, the fallout reached SBS Shooting Stars, on which Hwang Hee-jung appears. Hwang Hee-jung has been active as a member of FC Gukdae Family and has built public recognition.
Immediately after the controversy, voices demanding Hwang Hee-jung's departure and opinions cautioning against hasty judgments have clashed on social media and various online communities.
In this regard, SBS Shooting Stars has taken a cautious stance. On the 12th an SBS official told OSEN, "We are currently assessing the situation regarding Ms. Hwang Hee-jung." For now, no separate discussion about her leaving is known to be underway, but the production team's concern is expected to deepen depending on public opinion.
[photo] SBS
[OSEN]