She said she would appear, but only her voice was heard. Debate has erupted over YouTuber Um Eun-hyang conducting only a phone connection during what had been billed as the first YouTube live broadcast by popular drama writer Im Sung-han.
On the 17th Um Eun-hyang held a live broadcast on her personal channel. In particular, as previously announced, drama writer Im Sung-han was to attend as a special guest, drawing attention.
A former aspiring comedian, Um Eun-hyang is a YouTuber with about 640,000 channel subscribers. She gained popularity with shorts that perfectly parodied moments from works by popular drama writers such as Im Sung-han and Kim Soo-hyun and director Hong Sang-soo.
Among them, Im Sung-han's work "The Mermaid" had been a frequent parody subject for Um Eun-hyang. Riding that word-of-mouth, Im Sung-han directly contacted Um Eun-hyang's side and the live broadcast was arranged. Um Eun-hyang raised drama fans' expectations by early announcing on her personal social media that Im Sung-han would appear on the YouTube live.
Since debuting in 1990 with the KBS one-act drama "Standing in a Maze," Im Sung-han has been beloved for numerous popular dramas. Works she succeeded with before retiring include "See and See Again," "The Mermaid," "Princess Wangflower," "Lady of Ahyeon-dong," "Oh Lord, the Sky," "New Tales of Gisaeng," "Gem Bibimbap," "Princess Aurora," and "Apgujeong White Night," among many others.
After returning under the pen name "Phoebe," Im Sung-han's works, including the "Love (ft. Marriage & Divorce)" series and "Mrs. Durian," continued to draw heated interest despite controversy. The currently airing "Doctor Shin" is no different. Its provocative premise of "brain change" is creating shock.
However, despite having many successful works, Im Sung-han has long refrained from appearances outside her work to the extent of cultivating a mystique since her debut. Um Eun-hyang's live broadcast attracted intense interest as Im Sung-han's first live broadcast appearance in 36 years since her debut.
But more than an hour after the live broadcast began, Im Sung-han had not appeared. Um Eun-hyang began the live broadcast at 7:45 p.m. as scheduled. Early in the broadcast, many viewers flooded in, the chat screen display was interrupted, and patching work caused the screen to blackout repeatedly. Even considering such technical procedures, Im Sung-han's appearance could not be found for an hour. Only the camping chair labeled "Writer Im Sung-han" that Um Eun-hyang had prepared in advance sat alone.
Meanwhile, Um Eun-hyang said, "This is not the writer's live. This is Um Eun-hyang's first live, and writer Im Sung-han is appearing as a special guest," and shared updates about herself. Having recently undergone surgery for a calf hemangioma, her swollen leg and difficulty moving evoked sympathy. At the same time, despite her injury she proceeded with the live broadcast, suggesting her ardent fandom for Im Sung-han.
She even demonstrated the "miljeonbyeong" dish that had appeared as a trademark in Im Sung-han's works. She poured the prepared flour batter, fried it in oil and dipped it in soy-and-vinegar dipping sauce, reenacting the recipe from the works and prompting laughter. Finally, after about an hour had passed and Im Sung-han was expected to appear, Um Eun-hyang connected by phone. It turned out that it was not an in-person appearance but only a voice appearance via a phone interview.
It appeared to reflect Im Sung-han's tendency to avoid external exposure due to her characteristically reclusive nature. Nevertheless, Um Eun-hyang could not avoid criticism that she had toyed with subscribers who had waited for more than an hour. Im Sung-han did maintain a sincere interview, speaking on the phone for about an hour. But subscribers who had hoped to see Im Sung-han in person were left deeply disappointed. Ultimately Um Eun-hyang continued the live broadcast until 2 a.m., comforting the remaining subscribers after the phone call ended.
[Photo] Source: YouTube and social media.
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