The controversy over comedian Kim Joon-hyun's double attitude that surfaced during the Lunar New Year holiday leaves a bitter aftertaste. Especially coupled with earlier allegations of Park Na-rae's abusive behavior, the gap between celebrities' images and reality has left people disappointed.
During the Lunar New Year holiday when many were spending warm time with their families, an issue that heated up the entertainment industry came to mind. It was the 'double attitude controversy' that comedian Kim Joon-hyun ignored greetings from fans but acted warmly toward staff.
In a commute-to-work video posted on online communities and social media, Kim Joon-hyun walked into the broadcasting station under an umbrella held by his manager in bad weather while looking at his cellphone. Fans at the entrance greeted him with phrases such as 'hello' and 'fighting,' but Kim Joon-hyun, who showed no particular reaction, met a staff member inside the broadcasting station and bowed with a bright expression and even shook hands.
Despite the bad weather, he did not even glance at the greetings from fans who were waiting for him and only stared at his phone, but as soon as he met a staff member inside the building he bowed to greet them, and critics called the behavior hypocritical, instantly turning it into the 'Kim Joon-hyun double attitude controversy' that is heating up the entertainment world.
As Kim Joon-hyun's double attitude controversy erupted, it is made more bitter by overlapping with Park Na-rae's manager abusive behavior allegations that have continued since last year.
Kim Joon-hyun received much love for his warm, friendly older-brother and neighbor-like image through shows such as Gag Concert, Delicious Guys, and Immortal Songs. Park Na-rae gained favor for an image of caring for people and liking to share through shows such as I Live Alone. Ironically, both are now embroiled in controversies: the 'double attitude controversy' of ignoring fans while greeting staff, and the 'abusive behavior allegations' that they allegedly mistreated their closest managers.
The controversies surrounding Kim Joon-hyun and Park Na-rae are all the more bitter because they involve the collapse of familiar characters. In particular, their treatment of staff and managers who are weaker than them or have a working relationship contrasted with the benevolent influence viewers knew, and the extreme gap between image and real personality remains the most disappointing aspect. As celebrities, people trust them based on their on-air images, and this controversy has led to suspicion that their behavior might have been thoroughly calculated, businesslike acting.
Kim Joon-hyun's double attitude controversy started from a short video, and Park Na-rae's abusive behavior allegations are still under investigation, so it is too early to make a rash judgment. However, for a public that already endured a backlash over Park Na-rae's manager abusive behavior allegations, Kim Joon-hyun's double attitude controversy has sown a fundamental distrust about image making across the entertainment industry rather than being seen as a simple personal mistake.
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