Being a public figure needs a lot of hard work and dedication toward minute details, as you are constantly in front of the public. Especially in Korea, actors, actresses, producers, etc., are always extra careful about their image, as the country takes severe actions towards the allegations put up by the public. After one’s image gets tarnished, it takes a long time to build it up. Many actors were banned from the industry, as the controversies ruined their reputations.
1. Actor Kang Ji Hwan
Kang Ji Hwan was a famous actor and received several awards for Best New Actor. He had a very successful career from 2002-2019. In 2010, he was in dispute with his former agency regarding his contract, and the company sued him. In July 2019, the police arrested him for sexual assault and harassment of two female staff. After the news of his arrest, the TV channels banned him from appearing. In December, he was found guilty. The court sentenced him to 2 years and six months imprisonment and suspended him for three years in probation.
2. Actor Um Tae Woong
He started his career as an actor in 1998 and was a struggling actor for six years. In 2005, he got his breakthrough and gradually became a successful actor. But in 2016, he was sued for sexual assault by an employee of a massage parlor. After investigation, the charges made by the employee were not factual, so the charges dropped against him. However, the actor had to pay a fine of 1 million won for solicitation of prostitutes.
3. Actor Lee Kyung Young
Lee Kyung Young is a veteran actor and director who has been in this industry for a long time. He has/had a very successful career even after his controversies. In 2002, the police arrested him for prostitution of a minor on three different occasions. During the trial of his case, new information revealed that he had manipulated and exploited a minor girl aspiring to be an actress into having sex with him. It came to light that he was well aware of her age. The court suspended him to 10 months of prison with two years of probation and 160 hours of community service. Initially, the channels had banned him, but later, they dropped the ban. After a decade, he began working on new projects as an actor, but recently, in his K-drama, an intense debate started about whether he should work in a new series.
4. Actor Song Young Chang
In 2000, Song Young Chang, a veteran actor, was arrested and found guilty of the charges of underage prostitution. During the trial, new information released stating that the actor paid $150 twice in exchange for sex with the minor in his car. The court sentenced him to 10 months of incarceration with two years of probation. He also spent one month in prison before his probation. He was one of the first actors to have been found guilty of the charges. All the TV channels in Korea banned him.
5. Actor Ha Jung Woo
In 2019, Ha Jung Woo was found guilty of illegally administering propofol drug at a cosmetic clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. The actor administered the drugs 19 times from January to September 2019. The actor had fabricated his medical assessment documents nine times and made the reservation using his brother’s name. After being found guilty, a fine of 30 million won. He then went on hiatus for two years.
6. Actor Jo Hyung-Ki
Jo Hyung Ki is a comedian actor named “Killer Jo” because, in 1999, he killed a woman while driving while intoxicated. This case grew more complicated as the actor tried to dispose of the body to cover up his crime. However, he got caught in the place where he had disposed of the body as he had fallen asleep. He had to serve in jail for one year.
7. Actor Shin Jung Hwan
Shin Jung Hwan, a comedian entertainer, has been frequently caught gambling as it is illegal in Korea. In 2005, he got caught for the first time, which made him back down from all the shows. However, after a few months, he came back and regained popularity. But in 2010, when he failed to show up for his recording, he stated that he got hospitalized in the Philippines. Later, it was revealed that he had been gambling in the Philippines and had lost all his money and passport.
8. Actor Go Young Wook
Go Young Wook, actor and a singer, got arrested with charges of sexual assault, harassment, and rape of three minors for five different times in his place and car. The court sentenced him to prison for two-and-a-half years. He is the first person in Korea to get an electronic anklet, which he had to wear for three years.
9. Park Yoo Chun
He was accused of sexual assault by four different women, but the charges cleared as the use of force was difficult to prove, and the accusations were false. But on 26 April 2019, police arrested him for the purchase and use of drugs and also attempted to destroy the evidence before undergoing a drug test. He admitted to the drug charges, and the court sentenced him to a two-year suspension and ten months of imprisonment with a fine of 1.4 million won.
10. Actor Yoo Ah-In
Yoo Ah In had been under investigation since his arrival from the US and tested positive for the use of drugs. During the research, police found that the actor used five different drugs without any medical purpose. Police suspected that Yoo Ah-In using drugs was habitual. This drug scandal happened in early 2023.
