Actor Kim Sung Cheol has issued an apology after receiving backlash for interacting with a controversial social media post with sexualized photos of female K-pop idols.
The dispute occurred when Kim responded to a poll on an account that is known for posting suggestive images of girl group members in a social media post.
The post featured manipulated video clips of K-pop stars Kwon Eunbi and Kang Hyewon, slowing down and zooming in to focus on the artists' bodies inappropriately, according to netizens.
The post gained popularity, and Korean netizens in the online community forum theqoo lost their cool and slammed Kim over the same. Due to the criticism, his agency, Story J Company, released a statement addressing the controversy.
The agency said in an official statement, as per Korean outlet Hankook Ilbo, that they did not realize what kind of post it was.
"We did not know that the SNS post was of controversial or provocative in nature," The agency said. "As soon as we identified the problem, we canceled it."
Story J Company acknowledged the incident and apologized to the affected parties. "We deeply regret the oversight that appears to have impacted the artists mentioned in the content. We have already issued an apology through their agencies."
The agency also vowed to be more cautious during social media activities in the future to avoid a repeat of the situation.
Despite the controversy, Kim Sung Cheol is pursuing his career. Currently, he is performing in the musicals Jekyll and Hyde and Monte Cristo.
