The Korean entertainment industry is filled with controversies. Celebrity gets canceled back and forth, and there is chaos over star making the slightest mistake. Some of these celebs make big blunders, and their entire career comes crashing down. No matter how famous or influential a star is, they sometimes commit a career-ruining controversy, starting from bad and rude behavior, political opinions, and school bullying to committing actual crimes, which sometimes end their career. It’s hard for celebrities to make a comeback after serious dispute. But some stars bounce back after a career ruing controversy. Here are the top 10 Korean celebrities who made a comeback after a controversy.
1. Kim Seon Ho
Kim Seon Ho is a 37-year-old actor who has starred in many hit Korean dramas such as Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Start-Up, and many more. But his acting career was stopped when he was strangled in a controversy in October 2021 when his ex-girlfriend accused him of being a liar and forcing her to abort their unborn child. Because of these controversies, he was dropped from significant brand endorsements like Dominos. Nevertheless, these accusations were then confirmed to be fake, and he continued his ongoing drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and made a comeback as a male lead in the 2023 theatre play Touching the Void.
2. Seo Yea Ji
This 33-year-old phenomenal actress has amazed viewers with her acting skills in dramas like It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Lawless Lawyers, and many more. But in 2021, she was stuck in severe controversy, where she was accused of controlling her boyfriend Kim Jung Hyun’s behavior when he was filming a drama with actress Seohyun. Later, some of her former classmates also accused her of bullying them, which is a huge issue in South Korea. That didn’t end up well, and her career was going downhill. Surprisingly, she made a comeback with the drama as a main lead in Eve; also, her movie was a massive hit in South Korea.
3. Kim Jung Hyun
Kim Jung Hyun, popularly known for his lead role in Welcome to Waikiki and School 2017, found himself amid controversy when, at first, he was having a dispute with his company over his contract. Netizens brought back a clip of him showing cold behaviors towards his co-star Seohyun. During the filming of the drama, he showed rude behaviors toward Seohyun to the extent that she cried in the set. That made it difficult for the staff to work with him as he kept changing the drama script. He faced a significant backlash from the public. Later, his agency came out with a statement that his then ex-girlfriend Seo Yea Ji was a control freak and was getting jealous of him getting close to any female co-star. He then made a comeback with his lead role in the drama Kokdu: Season of Deity.
4. Ahn Jae Hyun
Ahn Jae Hyun and Goo Hye Sun announced that they were getting divorced in August 2019. Hye Sun revealed that Jae Hyun was bored with their marriage, and he initiated a divorce, also accusing him of cheating. She then posted screen shorts of their chats and said that she wanted to keep their family together. Netizens were quick to jump to a conclusion and started bashing the actor. His image was tarnished. But thankfully, dispatch later revealed that the cheating accusation was false. Then he was asked to rejoin the cast of New Journey to the West.
5. Kim Seol Hyun
The AOA mistreatment scandal was a huge mess when member Mina accused Jimin of mistreatment. Seol Hyun, being the best friend of Jimin, was accused of being a bystander to the abuse and did not do anything to stop her. All the members, including Seol Hyun, received a lot of hate from the netizens. But the complete matter took a whole 180-degree turn when Mina was revealed to be the one responsible. She made her comeback with her drama Murder’s shopping list.
6. Jo Byeon Gyu
School bullying is a huge issue in South Korea. When the drama The Uncanny Counter started to get famous, actor Jo Byeon Gyu was accused of school harassment and claimed that he was verbally rude to students and school staff. Netizens reacted harshly, as they always do. Later, his agency released a statement saying all the accusation was false and unrelated to the actor. After this controversy, his career bounced back as he starred in the movie Even if I Die One More Time.
7. Lee Min Ki
Lee Min Ki is one of the prominent actors in the industry. But in 2016, he found himself in the middle of a scandal when he was accused of touching a woman inappropriately in a club in Busan and was also accused of sexual assault. These accusations were soon proven to be false as police got involved with a thorough investigation into the case. His agency released a statement saying he was present at the scene but had nothing to do with the allegation. He returned with the 2017 drama Because This Is My First Life, where he was cast as the main lead opposite Jung So Min.
8. Nam Joo Hyuk
Actor Nam Joo Hyuk was accused of school bullying in the year 2022. One of his former classmates said that he and his group of friends tormented students in middle school. School bullying is a severe issue in South Korea. Netizens reacted quickly and started to hate the actor. Later, all the accusations were proven false as the dispatch got involved in this. The alleged classmate then accepted that he was lying and apologized to the actor. But the damage was already been done. Then his career took a steep turn as he was cast in the drama Vigilante alongside Kim So Jin.
9. Kim Sae Ron
Kim Sea Ron is quite a controversial figure in the industry. In the year 2022, she was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drove the car into a converter box, which as a result caused a power outage in the whole area. She was charged 20 million KRW, as a fine. Nevertheless, she was not removed from her upcoming drama Blood Hounds even though some of her parts from the drama were edited out.
10. Park Hae Jin
Actor Park Hae Jin is always criticized for his notorious comments against women. He has publicly body-shamed many women and has also made remarks about his female co-stars. Despite showing a terrible attitude towards women, he has never apologized for his comments. After this, he got a lot of hate from the netizens. But surprisingly, even after his controversies, it did not affect his career much as he was still cast as a main lead in various dramas.
