Ok Joo Hyun, a musical actor formerly of Fin.K.L, offered additional remarks regarding the recent blasting posts targeting Jung Ho-young and the musical community.
On the 17th, Ok Joo Hyun referenced her earlier pointed comments about 'autotune' and lip-syncing on the fan communication platform Bubble. She said on the 7th, "These days, no matter how badly someone sings, they do ruthless post-production with autotune, so true live performers feel bad. Honestly, it makes me angry. I don't want to share a table with them," and added, "It may come across as a very rude remark. But it's true. Watching people do post-production with autotune these days, it really feels like anyone and everyone can come out and sing," she had blasted.
She also said, "If moderation is exceeded, that's fraud," and added, "At least I have never performed any work by lip-syncing. Some people lip-synced and still remained legends. Even in the most ticketed shows in Korea. There are pieces that openly call it lip-syncing," citing 'The Phantom of the Opera' as an example.
Relatedly, speaking again about 10 days later, she said, "They were all stories about musicals, but the fallout surprised me when it went to singer juniors," and explained, "For singers, 'tune' can be a device for performance, and I'm not saying don't use tune. I use it after all," offering clarification. She went on, "Except for officially announced lip-syncing like in 'The Phantom of the Opera,' lip-syncing itself is an impossible and unacceptable fraud and deception of the audience. There are actors who, because they are sick, inevitably have to be recast; those who performed even partial lip-syncs should, even if outwardly they seem unable, carry guilt for the rest of their lives," she criticized.
She drew attention by repeatedly demanding an apology from Kim Ho-young, who was at the center of the 'Ok-jang-pan' controversy. She said, "I'm waiting," and explained, "It's time for friend Ok-jang-pan to either prove it by organizing a group purchase, or to do something with his mouth and hands."
She emphasized, "It's quite deep karma to simply pass over the many cases that caused defamation and continued dishonor to the junior who joined after passing an audition and was given a hard time despite joining on the 10th anniversary, and to the production company that wrote a 10-year history."
The 'Ok-jang-pan' controversy between Ok Joo Hyun and Kim Ho-young first erupted in 2022. At the time, in the 10th anniversary performance of the musical 'Elisabeth,' Lee Ji Hye, who was known as Ok Joo Hyun's protégé, was cast as a co-lead with Ok Joo Hyun, prompting suspicions of 'nepotism casting.' Around that time, after the 'Elisabeth' casting lineup was revealed, Kim Ho-young posted an Ok-jang-pan photo and stage images and wrote, "The Asari board is a thing of the past. Now it's Ok-jang-pan," which led to speculation that the remark was aimed at Ok Joo Hyun's alleged 'nepotism casting' and fueled further controversy.
Afterward, Ok Joo Hyun sued Kim Ho-young and two internet users for defamation, and Kim Ho-young's side said it regretted that facts were not checked with the parties and that the actor's reputation was harmed, signaling a tough response. After veteran first-generation musical actors issued an appeal, Ok Joo Hyun said she realized she had not been cautious enough in addressing the suspicions surrounding her and in the process of explaining them, and she reflected and apologized, then withdrew the lawsuit. She reiterated, "I had no involvement whatsoever in casting for the 10th anniversary performance of the musical 'Elisabeth.'"
Meanwhile, during the 'autotune' blast on the 7th, Ok Joo Hyun talked about Kim Ho-young and said, "Ah, I burst out laughing. I had forgotten. The Ok-jang-pan was a post to promote a friend's father's flooring business," and expressed disbelief, saying, "I was never apologized to. I heard that along with the words thanking me for withdrawing the lawsuit. 'Thanks for withdrawing the lawsuit. But I never blasted my nuna,' and he gave that explanation to me."
She explained, "Honestly, for years this part was really frustrating (because every little thing earned me the modifier starting with 'Ok-jang-pan' in headlines), so I seriously thought hundreds of times about whether to officially organize and post that on my channel, and I talked about it, but the person I thought cared about me most objected. The reason was, 'Wouldn't it annoy you to have your name appear side by side in articles with a kid who's been so desperate to be famous for a long time?' But this became my fixed modifier rather than the mentioned person's friend's father's flooring promotion, and it stuck for a long time. I pondered for a long time whether it would be better to casually say, 'I'm not that flooring model,' and concluded that I didn't need to think deeply about it alone, so I'm speaking very casually now. Without lying."
She expressed frustration, saying, "If I hadn't withdrawn the lawsuit, it would have been a dispute with defamation claims, advertising damage compensation, and triple the damages plus alpha, so it would have been a big financial matter and I might have received a significant awakening. What I regret most after that incident is withdrawing the lawsuit. The advertising company also suffered huge damage and my nickname switched to the flooring. It's sad." But despite Ok Joo Hyun's public blasting, Kim Ho-young made no statement and continued to share daily life and fulfill his schedule, and ultimately Ok Joo Hyun once again said she is "waiting" and demanded a public explanation. Attention is focused on how Kim Ho-young will respond next.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
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