Actress the late Choi Jin-sil's daughter Choi Jun-hee has been plagued by misunderstandings and fake news after announcing her marriage. In response, Choi Jun-hee appealed, "Please stop harassing me," drawing sympathy.
Choi Jun-hee will hold her wedding with a non-celebrity 11 years older than her at a hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, on May 16.
Choi Jun-hee said, "Yes, I'm getting married!" and personally announced the marriage news, saying, "Family has never been an easy word for me, right? After a childhood that was only depressing, I long ago vowed in my heart that someday I would build my own warm shelter. Now I want to live a firmer and warmer life not as someone's daughter but as a wife and as my own new family that I will create."
But it took a day for her to personally announce the marriage news, and during that time rumors about the marriage poured out. First, because the dating period between Choi Jun-hee and her fiancé was said to be five years, some people raised suspicions of a relationship involving a minor. Choi Jun-hee said, "It was reported before my consent and as unverified articles," adding, "The dating period is all wrong, and seeing sensational articles that expressed it as if I had given an exclusive interview honestly made me very upset."
It was also reported that Choi Jun-hee had received marriage permission from her 'aunt' Hong Jin Kyung. After the news of Choi Jun-hee's marriage was reported, Hong Jin Kyung cheered, "Permission to marry? What qualification do I have?? I only wish you a good life. Jun-hee, congratulations on your marriage!" In reality, Hong Jin Kyung was reported to have given 'permission to date,' not 'permission to marry.' This was an anecdote Choi Jun-hee shared on social media.
Another rumor that tormented Choi Jun-hee was a wedding photo shoot said to have been taken in Japan. After news that Choi Jun-hee was marrying a man 11 years older, a wedding photo shoot of Choi Jun-hee was posted on online communities; the location where the two were photographed was reported not to be a simple temple but a space where the "mizukokuyo" (水子供養·suja gongyang) ritual is performed.
Mizukokuyo is known as a ritual to pray for the souls of fetuses and infants who died due to miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth. Because of this, many criticized that it was not appropriate as a backdrop to announce a new start through marriage. Internet users commented, "It's creepy," "Maybe they didn't know where they were taking photos," and "They should have done prior research."
Upon seeing such posts, Choi Jun-hee said, "A Korean photographer who often shoots in Japan was assigned to shoot and I couldn't have known in that vast Tokyo. The last region I went to was only Osaka when I was in kindergarten. I never officially released that photo in the first place; it was just one of the photos a reporter took without permission and used. I did more than nine sponsored wedding shoots, so how could I have noticed just that one photo? I had no idea at all," she said. She stated that while the wedding photo shoot was through sponsorship, it was not an actual wedding photo shoot taken with her fiancé.
Choi Jun-hee said, "I'm so upset," in response to comments from netizens comforting her, and the photographer conveyed an apology to Choi Jun-hee, saying he liked American culture and knew nothing about Japanese culture. Choi Jun-hee appealed, "I never uploaded that photo anywhere, so where did you get it without my permission?" and "Please stop harassing me."
Meanwhile, Choi Jun-hee is the daughter of the late Choi Jin-sil and the late baseball player Jo Sung-min. Her older brother Choi Hwan-hee is active as a rapper, and Choi Jun-hee is active as an influencer.
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