Actor Bae Seong-woo, who served a period of self-reflection after drunk driving, bowed his head ahead of the release of the film "끝장수사," which had been adrift for seven years due to the fallout from his controversy.
At 11 a.m. on the 9th, a production briefing for the film "끝장수사" (director Park Cheol-hwan) was held at CGV I'Park Mall in Yongsan, Seoul. The production briefing was attended by director Park Cheol-hwan as well as actors Bae Seong-woo, Jung Ga-ram, Esom, Cho Han-Cheul, Yoon Kyung-ho and others, who spoke about the film.
"끝장수사" follows veteran detective "Jaehyuk," who was demoted to a rural outpost, as he heads to Seoul with rookie detective "Jungho" to pursue the true culprit of a murder case involving two suspects. Originally completed in 2019 and scheduled to be released in the first half of 2020 under the title "출장수사," the film's release was indefinitely postponed amid the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent drunk driving controversy involving Bae Seong-woo.
In November 2020, Bae Seong-woo was caught driving under the influence at a level warranting license revocation. At the time, through his agency he said there was "no excuse," and he was later fined about 700,000 won on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act.
After the controversy, Bae Seong-woo left SBS's Fly, Gaechonyong while appearing in it and took a period of self-reflection. Later, he returned to activities through Netflix's The 8 Show in 2024, and at The 8 Show production briefing, before the main Q&A, he stood up and apologized for the series of controversies. Bae Seong-woo bowed his head and said, "First, I thank the reporters who attended. I think I must begin by apologizing. I wanted to say sorry to those who showed interest and encouragement for the disappointment I caused, and to everyone else as well."
He continued, "And because of my personal issues, I was worried, afraid and sorry that I might cause trouble to those I work with, and in fact it was a situation where I could only cause trouble." He added, "This film is a work that the director, the actors and the production staff made together with sweat and effort. I inevitably became a burden to everyone who worked on this film, but I worked with a desperate hope to be as little of a burden as possible. I am grateful for the opportunity to apologize like this. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a deep apology," and apologized again.
After that, Bae Seong-woo resumed activities by appearing in Disney+'s Light Shop and Coupang Play variety show SNL Korea Reboot season 7, and the film that had been indefinitely postponed, then titled "출장수사," has come out into the world after seven years under the title "끝장수사," allowing him to meet audiences again.
At the "끝장수사" production briefing, Bae Seong-woo also expressed an apology to those who were harmed by his mistake. He said, "I sincerely apologize once again to everyone who felt uncomfortable because of my mistake." He added, "I am deeply grateful that the film is being released and that I can stand here, and I think it is fortunate. I hope the director's and all the staff's and other actors' hard work is not overshadowed by me," and he bowed his head, saying, "I will do my best until the end."
Director Park Cheol-hwan said, "We did a lot of editing and I am satisfied," and added, "Although my feelings were hurt in many ways, I ultimately feel good about the upcoming release." In particular, Bae Seong-woo said in closing, "This work felt like a debt in my heart, so I am very grateful that it is being released," and reiterated his resolve, saying, "I will do my best until it is released, as I have caused trouble."
Meanwhile, "끝장수사" will be released in theaters on Apr. 2.
[Photo] OSEN photographer Lee Dae-seon
[OSEN]