Actor Lee Dong Gun's cafe, which he opened in Aewol, Jeju and later closed, has come under scrutiny for its current condition, and the agency's rebuttal prompts a reconsideration of whether the criticisms of Lee Dong Gun were unjustified.
The cafe Lee Dong Gun opened in Aewol, Jeju after taking out a loan of around 200 million won closed after about a year. The cafe announced on July 9 that it would suspend operations, saying "we will take time to reorganize." Following Lee Sang Soon, Lee Dong Gun's cafe also closed, leaving many people disappointed.
Meanwhile, a YouTube channel on the 2nd posted a video titled 'Lee Dong Gun also failed and left | don't even dream of the harsh life in Jeju,' saying Lee Dong Gun's cafe was being neglected rather than reorganized.
The video showed the closed cafe, and the YouTuber said, "The interior was well done but it ended up failing. It has the fatal flaw of not having a sea view, but I thought his name recognition would overcome that, yet they left this great location neglected and departed." The pond at the neglected cafe was full of green algae, and the YouTuber said, "If you break the eggs, insects swarm."
The condition seemed closer to "neglect" than reorganization. To make matters worse, a netizen who appeared to be a neighboring resident wrote, "They left it neglected, and because of the insects that hatched, the families living next to and running the cafe are suffering greatly. If it's closed, you should take care of the aftermath before leaving," expressing outrage.
The YouTuber's on-site exposé and the neighboring resident's comment spread across social media and online communities, forming public opinion criticizing Lee Dong Gun's irresponsibility.
But Lee Dong Gun's side explained, "The cafe has been completely cleared." Currently, a new fashion brand store is operating at the former cafe site, and Lee Dong Gun's side said, "We understand that that store is operating. We left after clearing out, so we cannot know the situation afterward."
The timing of the YouTuber's filming is unknown, but since the upload was on the 2nd, it can be inferred it was filmed before then. Nearly 10 days have passed since the video was released, and current checks via road view and other means show not Lee Dong Gun's cafe building but a flagship store of a fashion brand in its place.
This controversy was created by neglect and misunderstanding. Lee Dong Gun's side declined to comment on plans to reopen the cafe, saying, "Nothing has been decided yet."
Photo = provided by SBS, SNS capture, YouTube video capture
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