Photos that supposedly started as a joke have turned into a scandal for actor Kang Ji Hwan.
The actor, who recently traveled to the Philippines for a magazine photo shoot, is the subject of scandalous photos that quickly circulated on the Internet. In the photos he is sleeping on a bed together with a woman.
The photos appeared on the woman's Facebook page with the caption "together sleep with Korean actor," then were quickly shared. Netizens wanted to know whether the two were in a relationship.
A representative for the actor quickly issued a public statement. He confirmed that the man in the photo was Kang Ji Hwan but stressed that the actor and the woman in the photo were not in a relationship.
According to the actor's representative, the photos were meant to be a joke. His representative told E-Daily that the woman in the photos was the wife of the person who served as the actor's guide while he was in the Philippines.
"He took the photos on the night of the 10th and it seems she posted them this morning," said the representative. "The guide and Kang Ji Hwan became fast friends and he also got close to his wife. The photos were taken for fun and now they've become trouble. The woman who posted the photos is very sorry and she said she would post a message about it on Facebook."
The representative cautioned people against making any kind of assumptions.
The guide's wife did post an apology. She wrote "very sorry only edited pictures, hope you can forgive me, because he's my idol sorry again."
Although her apology seemed sincere, it caused some confusion and further speculation. The actor's representative said that the photos were taken for fun, which implied that the actor had been aware they were being taken. But the woman's Facebook post said they were edited. Did this imply that she photo-shopped her face onto pictures of him sleeping? And if so, what was she doing in his room while he was sleeping?
Kang Ji Hwan recently appeared in the KBS drama "Big Man." He played Kim Ji Hyuk, a man who gets conned into believing he is the heir to a wealthy family. He has been set up so the family can use him in various ways but in the end he triumphs over them. The revenge drama also starred Daniel Choi and Lee Da Hee.
The actor also previously appeared in "Lie To Me" and "Incarnation of Money."
Kang Ji Hwan returns to Korea on July 13. What do you think of this scandal?
