Actress the late Choi Jin-sil's daughter Choi Jun-hee, who is set to marry in May, was embroiled in controversy over a published past wedding photo shoot, but after the full story was revealed it became clear that Choi Jun-hee was also a victim, drawing sympathy.
On the 17th, Choi Jun-hee announced her marriage, saying, "Yes, I'm getting married. Family has never been an easy word for me, right? After a childhood that was only depressing, I long promised myself that someday I wanted to make my own warm shelter in my heart. Now I want to live a firmer and warmer life not as someone's daughter but as a person's wife and as my own new family that I will build going forward."
Choi Jun-hee, who surprised people by announcing her marriage at the young age of 23, caused another stir with the wedding photo shoot. A wedding photo shoot that appears to have been taken in Japan was posted on online communities and social media, and it was reported that the setting of the photo was not simply a temple but a space where the "mizukokuyo" (水子供養·memorial for stillborn and aborted fetuses) ceremony is performed.
Mizukokuyo is known as a ritual that prays for the souls of fetuses lost through miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth, and infants who died soon after birth. For that reason, many criticized that it was not an appropriate background for two people to mark a new start through marriage. Internet users commented, "It gives me goosebumps," "Couldn't they have taken the photos without knowing?" and "They should have done prior research."
After learning of these reports, Choi Jun-hee responded to a fan's post asking, "Wasn't there anyone to inform her?" by saying, "A Korean photographer who often shoots in Japan was assigned to take the photos, so how could I have known in vast Tokyo. The last region I went to was Osaka when I was in kindergarten. That photo was never officially released in the first place; it's just one of the photos a reporter took and used without permission."
She added, "I did more than nine wedding shoots through sponsorship alone, so how could I have known about that one photo? I absolutely didn't know," reiterating that the published wedding photos were taken as sponsored shoots.
Choi Jun-hee expressed her feelings with the comment, "I'm so upset," and also released KakaoTalk messages exchanged with the photographer. The KakaoTalk messages show the photographer and Choi Jun-hee coordinating travel to Tokyo and the schedule for the photo shoot. In particular, Choi Jun-hee added, "The photographer said he likes American culture and apologized, saying he knew nothing about Japanese culture."
Facing marriage, which should have been full of congratulations, Choi Jun-hee has been going through turbulent days due to noises such as allegations of dating a minor and controversy over the wedding photo shoot location. But it turned out that Choi Jun-hee was a victim of unauthorized use and fake news, and while communicating with fans on social media she conveyed her concern, saying, "I'm worried about the articles," drawing sympathy.
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