Finally breaking his silence on Wednesday October 20, South Korean actor Kim Seon-Ho released a statement today publicly apologising for his actions after rumours linked his name to a mysterious “Actor K” who forced his ex-girlfriend into having an abortion.
With the series finale airing on October 17, what should have been an exciting week for the Hometown Cha Cha Cha star didn’t go as expected after a Netizen claiming to be the ex-girlfriend of an unnamed popular actor posted online saying she was forced to have an abortion whilst they were still dating and later got dumped by her “two faced and shameless” ex. Although the woman referred to him only as “Actor K”, Netizens surmised that she was referring to Kim Seon-Ho whose popularity skyrocketed after appearing in Start-Up and the uber popular Hometown Cha Cha Cha which just ended its run.
Admitting to Being “Actor K”
In an apology which came a few days late, Kim Seon-Ho in his statement admitted to causing the woman harm and expressed his regrets for his thoughtless behaviour. He said that he dated the woman with great affection, but that he hurt her with his carelessness and inconsiderate actions. He also added that he wanted to properly apologise to her in person but since he is unable to do so, he is apologising to her sincerely through his written statement.
Moreover, Kim Seon-Ho also said that he’s “sorry to disappoint everyone who have always believed in me. But I forgot that it’s because of the people who’ve always supported me that I am able to stand before you as the actor Kim Seon-Ho. To everyone affected, especially the people involved in the production, I am sorry for the trouble caused by my shortcomings. I genuinely apologise to everyone who was hurt.”
Fall Out
How this scandal will ultimately affect the future of his rising career is still unknown. However, with today’s cancel culture, it’s unsurprising that brands he’d previously been endorsing have already started pulling the plug on their contracts. Domino’s Pizza for example has already culled the actor’s ads from their social media. Likewise, KBS’s popular series Two Days and One Night, a show Kim Seon-Ho appears in regularly, just confirmed they will be dropping him from their regular roster.
Update: The same day, Kim Seon-Ho’s ex came back with a new post. She wrote, “Because I indirectly caused damage to a lot of people, I’m sorry. The time when he and I truly loved each other once existed. I also feel bad seeing him suddenly ruined because of some of my extreme words.” She reveals she has received an apology from Kim Seon-Ho and also said, “there seems to be some misunderstanding between us.” She hopes that the internet will stop spreading content inconsistent with facts and refrain from disseminating her private affairs. She will take down her post.
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Koko
She could have done it privately??? Either way, the damage is done. At least now he is able to reflect on his behaviors and be a better person next time.
BA
He kept avoiding her messages. The ex-girlfriend didn’t damage his career. He damaged his own career.
Missy
She did it with ill intentions n purpose. Target n goal achieved however she realised too late that her actions has dire consequences she didn’t foresee ie. he lost everything overnight n might have to pay compensation to his agency … she can’t milk any monetary gain from him. So now try to salvage situation by apologising and state that it was a misunderstanding… that’s bloody lame. This matter is between both of them n it should remain private between them. They are both adults and acts were both consensual. Trying to force a guy to marry her by getting herself preggo is really low and lame. She is willing to have unprotected sex, she should be prepared for chances of being preggo from that … or did she hope to get preggo n get him to marry her? Seems she’s not so simple as well. Why wait till he attained fame from his recent drama to oust him? Trying to get 15 mins of media fame? Hoping more media will go to her for story n get paid for her story?
Chicken
Did she tell you that, Missy or are you writing fanfiction? If you’re going to use the consequences B S to defend him, then you have to realize that this wouldn’t be happening, if he hadn’t done what he did. He wouldn’t be losing everything overnight, if he had acted like a decent person. He only has himself to blame. It’s not the end of the world. People lose their jobs all the time. He can go work somewhere else.
He is a public figure who is marketed as a nice guy. Companies hired him for his image. Some of his fans started following him because of his image. What he did is almost the opposite of the image he’s selling. There are also people who can’t support someone who acts like how he did. Plenty consider character when choosing to support something or someone.
Does he deserve to lose his job over this? Yes, he does. With how much they earn, the public asking them to practice common decency isn’t much to ask for. People like him have a job because the public tunes in to his shows and buys the products he endorses. But the public has taste. If they don’t want to see him because he’s not what they like anymore, he’s going to lose his job.
At the end of the day, he’s not the only actor available and his image already went kapoof. There are countless of actors who can replace him, actors who never did what he did.
His ex-girlfriend was nice enough to wait until his cha cha cha drama finished airing before revealing this. If she had revealed this earlier, he would end up having more bills to pay. He should be thankful his ex didn’t reveal this matter earlier.
Missy
She is no innocent in this matter too. She is 37 years old divorcee and used to work in broadcasting industry as a newscaster before she got married to her 1st husband n got divorced 4 years later and now an Internet influencer. She knows what she is getting into when she chose to air their dirty laundry to public with a reporter. They are both consenting adults in that 4-6 months relationship. Both agreed to abort the baby. She chose wedding over the baby. At age 37, she knows the consequences of unprotected sex and she was a willing party. Now that the guy’s career is over and got many people involved companies, shows etc … she made a statement saying she didn’t mean to have things get this far? Who is she kidding! Perhaps she was hoping to get a massive followers on her channel but got backfired now that she also received massive backlash. Both were in the wrong. It takes 2 to tango in this matter.
laihonn
I’m all about woman supporting woman but I can’t get behind her on this. They are both consenting adults and they should work out their issues privately, like you said. Who the heck still think that as long as you get pregnant then the dude will marry you, who still have that kind of thinking? Shot-gun marriage tends to end with divorced in most cases.
The dude is shady and 2 faced but for a 37 years old woman with one marriage on hand to still have the thinking of getting pregnant to keep a man is not just naïve and some part seems to be calculating.
Dee
This is scandal that should have never been scandal. So, they dated and six months into relationship she knows she wants to marry him and gets preggo. They talk, he leave it to her to decide, she goes to abortion, he pays for it and stays with him another 10 months ?!?! Seriously, you want me to feel sympathy for 37 years old divorcee who suddenly is surprised with baby from unprotected intercourse. Like at that age you did not know. Come on! Oh my there is nothing unintentional in her actions. She is vindictive and manipulative ex who worked in the industry and is out there for the blood and/or money and she got that. What happened he paid out? this one is really dirty, pure blackmail. It was never about the baby it was about her idea to get married to him. Women like that makes us all look bad. If she was so keen on a baby as she is almost 40 and knows it would be difficult she should have simply had a baby and make him pay upkeep through legal means.
Chicken
Are you a fanfiction writer Dee? Many of the details you mentioned to talk bad about the ex weren’t mentioned in news articles about this story. Your comment is full of lies, speculations, and hate.
Women who think like you makes women everywhere look bad. People like you don’t represent us. Acting as if some women don’t get pressured into having unprotected sex by their partners and when they get pregnant, their partner cuts off contact and abandons them. This couple may not be an example of that, but that situation is much more common than you think. Age doesn’t prevent a person from being pressured by a partner.
An easy decision for you may not be an easy decision for another. Do you think it’s easy to decide what to do with her child, while being aware the child’s other parent doesn’t want it to exist? It’s not as easy as you claim it to be.
The law doesn’t always side with the person who needs help. If the person thinks it won’t provide them guaranteed results, what do you expect them to do? They think of other ways to get help.
Dee
nope just read all on Korean sites! it is all there just go and check.
She really tried to play general audience but failed and she is getting now all the backlash.
He might be a a scumbag or whatever you want but she had hidden agenda. If you know how to read, write and use internet you can find everything about consequences of unprotected sex. Should i mention small thing like talk to your doctor? She is not a kid she is grown up women, divorced and probably already tried for a baby in first marriage, and how the hell she can be duped into smth so damaging to her by pure hormonal words of anyone. I am just not buying it. Is she 15 and he is her first schoolboy love so she cannot say no.???!!?! Stop looking for excuses for stupidity. I think she hoped to have different outcome and that’s why she went down that road.
And now feel free to hate me as much as you want for me calling the spade, the spade. She does not have my sympathy.
New Law in Korea asks couple to undergo formal counseling and 14 days waiting period to get approved for abortion, she had to go through all that and never stopped and said look I’ll have a kid this is too much. Nope, she has done it and stayed with him 10 more months. Seriously!!!! He was her priority not a baby or her own health, it was all about trying to get married to that guy. This is not misogyny, this is anger at someone trying to manipulate my emotions for her agenda i do jot approve of. Go to forums and Korean sites and check all details you will change your mind.
And the guy is exactly what i thought he is all meh and no backbone, plus immature and stupid for going bareback into situation like this.
unicorn
I think you should give defending her a rest. No need to make any excuses for her. She is not innocent just because she’s a woman; and the man is not guilty just because he is a man. It’s all about behaviors. Both have behaved badly in some societies’ eyes. Neither was young, innocent, naive or taken advantage of or in poverty here. This sort of behavior happens every day all over the world for the same reasons – greed, insecurity, anger, envy, revenge ….. and everybody gets hurt.
Both are mature, consenting, experienced, well to do adults. It was a long relationship, not a weekend fling. They just have to eat the bitter fruits that they themselves have planted. And make peace with the baby they killed – the one truly innocent victim here.
Chicken
It is being talked about because the man is a public figure. People are allowed to not want him to appear on screen anymore for this.
Just because it happens everywhere, every minute of every single day doesn’t make it right. I know there are much worse cases of this happening. Maybe that is the only sure good thing to come out of this, the conversations being had now that this issue became public. This issue shouldn’t be taboo to talk about. People have to talk about this.
dee
let me just leave this for you here and remind you that this ‘scandal’ cost him more than $2.4m until now, someone in Dispatch comments did the math not me
https://www.soompi.com/article/1495362wpp/dispatch-reveals-details-about-kim-seon-ho-and-his-ex-girlfriends-relationship
Mia
The misogyny in this comment is disgusting. Just because she’s a 37 year old divorcee doesn’t mean she should be treated like a villainess. He was emotionally manipulative that promised to marry her if she got an abortion only to dump her as soon as she had the procedure done. She’s been doxxed by KSH delusional fans and that’s why she took the post down. I hope her and her lawyers sue everyone of those malicious fans and she gets some reparations for this. As for KSH? Farewell.
Dee
oh sweetie pls draw the line btw hating all women and not liking someone’s agenda.. Seriously if you are 37 and not thinking about your reproductive health who the hell will be?
She stayed with him 10 more months they broke up 4 month ago. Check the facts go to Korean sites and get the timeline together.
They are two consenting adults, they dated, he did not want to commit, she did, a year and smth after they called it quits. She decided to air the dirty laundry for whatever reason. So she did not get positive publicity, oops. His career took nose dive.
I really don’t care about his career and her backlash but i do care about poor sex education in East Asia and lack of basic knowledge on reproductive health.
After age of 37 for women and 50 for men reproductive health goes down and probability to conceive even with IVF becomes mire minuscule with every passing year. Can it happen yes but probability is dramatically down. If you don’t know this than you will proceed with abortion to keep the guy. That is the core of the problem.
Chicken
Dee, what’s your source? His fans’ words, Koreaboo, Allkpop, and other tabloids that gets translated into english? You have to read your comments again. Everything you said doesn’t read as a critic of poor sex education in asia. You never mentioned the need for a better education. You prioritized spewing hate towards the ex, taking speculations and opinions as facts, and inventing a new storyline for the couple.
Why shouldn’t she air their dirty laundry in public? He’s a public figure. This news got released because his nice guy concept shot him to fame. His concept keeps him clothed and got him the support of the public.
You may be different, but a lot of people would want to know what kind of person they’re supporting.
dee
I genuinely hope you will read this one until the end and when you do ask yourself deep in your heart why you jumped on the hate wagon based on one sided articles and projected some of your own fears into KHS situation.
I will just leave it her for you.
https://www.koreaboo.com/news/dispatch-reveals-full-dating-history-kim-seon-ho-choi-young-ah-ex-girlfriend-forced-abortion-accusations/
The detailed timeline is at the end so please bear with everything. More details are on Dispatch site in Korean. I apologize for not finding more credible source in English but their translation follows Dispatch rather well.
dee
it seems that my comments are not going through since I try to post link to other articles but let me try again.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1495362wpp/dispatch-reveals-details-about-kim-seon-ho-and-his-ex-girlfriends-relationship
Jeong
Everybody is busy taking sides without stopping for a moment and considering these facts:
Their relationship started BEFORE his good boy image was widely accepted and known. The abortion took place also BEFORE his good boy concept took off. This means their relationship had already gone south even BEFORE Start-Up.
They finally broke up AFTER Start-Up and BEFORE Hometown Cha Cha Cha
She made it clear herself that she chose marrying him over the baby. So she prefers being the wife of a celebrity to being a mother. It’s her choice and decision. So we must respect this.
Alas! Kim Seon Ho got busier and busier. His name and brand (reputation, image, concept, etc) got bigger and bigger. Filming offers came flowing in with pretty and successful leading ladies. It might have finally hit her that the chance of him wanting to settle down with her was very slim.
Then he broke up with her (or started ghosting her, whatever). She knew it then that she was not just being paranoid all along. The soon as she saw no chance of winning him back or getting back together, she exposed him.
Now remember, they broke up even before he got more famous. I think after Start-Up, he realized he treasured his career more than just a promise to marry someone out of pressure. He didn’t look back after HomCha cos he was convinced he had made the right decision to break up.
The way I see it, it’s just two people having had an imperfect relationship and different priorioties (she wanted a celebrity husband, he wanted a successful career). We are talking about them now just because one of them is a famous actor.
If they were mere civilians in a country where abortion is legal, everybody (esp. people from big cities) would be too busy to give them a second look and discuss their private matters. It’s not like they committed a crime that deserves to be punished by law.
AndHereWeGoAgain
And as my comments with links are being endlessly moderated. Here is one without link. Dispatch announced the other side of the story with all the evidence, go and check on other english speaking sites.
All keyboard worriers could not have been more wrong.
Just go and check articles on Soompi or Koreaboo if you don’t read Korean. They have actual translations of Dispatch news.
Ines
Overzealous fandom are causing bystanders to take a stand.