"An apology ending brought on by greed. Actress Hwang Bo-ra bowed her head after being heavily criticized for a group-buying promotional video that used a staged traffic accident. However, since she promised to reflect and make efforts, there are also calls to refrain from excessive criticism. "
On the 13th Hwang Bo-ra said on her SNS, "I apologize for showing a lack of prudence regarding the group-buying video posted earlier," and "I apologize to the many people who felt uncomfortable, and I will reflect and make efforts to ensure this does not happen again."
The controversy began with a macadamia group-buying promotional video released on the 11th. The video began with a staged scene suggesting a traffic accident during nighttime driving. Hwang Bo-ra, who had been expressing a tense situation while screaming, soon smiled brightly and said, "Do you want to eat macadamia?" switching to product promotion. Criticism poured in that the traffic accident setting, which had no direct relation to the product, "consumed a life-threatening situation as promotional material."
There were also criticisms that it was a provocative "aggro" staging. The reaction was that using a shocking situation as the introduction rather than emphasizing the nuts' advantages or taste was excessive. In particular, the prevailing assessment was that the choice of material was inappropriate even in a situation where advertising and group-buying content have become commonplace.
The controversy grew larger as Hwang Bo-ra's past drunk driving record was reevaluated. She was caught driving in the Gangnam area of Seoul in 2007 with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.135% and had her license revoked. At the time, she returned to activities relatively quickly after a period of self-reflection, and that history combined with the current controversy led to repeated reactions that "she should have been more careful."
In the end Hwang Bo-ra acknowledged her wrongdoing in an apology, but she could not avoid criticism that it was a backlash caused by excessive promotional greed. As the group-buying market has grown, voices calling for responsible content commensurate with celebrities' influence are also growing. Amid this, because Hwang Bo-ra has expressed reflection and an apology, there are also responses urging restraint from overly harsh criticism.
Meanwhile Hwang Bo-ra married Walkhouse Company Kim Young-hoon in 2022 and welcomed a son last year. She has recently continued activities sharing updates about her family and childcare<
[Photo] 'OSEN DB, SNS
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