South Korean actor Park Sung Hoon, known for his role in Squid Game, faced significant backlash after posting an explicit parody poster of the show during South Korea's seven-day mourning period for the Jeju Air tragedy.
The now-deleted post, which featured a Japanese adult video parody of Squid Game, was immediately taken down but triggered criticism among netizens.
Park Sung Hoon issued an apology shortly after the incident. His agency, BH Entertainment, initially explained that the post resulted from a mistake while checking his direct messages.
However, they later provided a more detailed statement clarifying the situation, explaining that the actor downloaded the image intending to forward it to his manager to address the inappropriate content circulating about his work. Unfortunately, the photo was accidentally uploaded during the process.
BH Entertainment elaborated that Park Sung Hoon acted out of concern, stating, "He thought it would be problematic that such strange things were floating around about his work."
Despite the clarification, the incident has affected his upcoming project, The Tyrant's Chef, where he stars alongside Girls' Generation's Yoona. Many netizens have demanded for his removal from the role.
This controversy adds to a series of challenges for Park Sung Hoon, who previously faced criticism for taking on a transgender role but later received praise for his performance. Now, he finds himself embroiled in another issue that threatens his career and public image.