Actor Kim Jung-hyun has belatedly apologized for his rude behavior toward fellow actor Seohyun at a drama production presentation six years ago. According to Kim Jung-hyun’s agency, Story J Company, on December 31st at the recording of the ‘2024 KBS Drama Awards,’ he stated, “I apologize to those who were affected by my immature actions in the past.” Some speculated that he might have been publicly apologizing to Seohyun, who attended the awards that day, but it is reported that Kim did not refer to any specific individual at that time.
During the drama filming, it was particularly noted that he went to great lengths to avoid physical contact with Seohyun. There was even an incident where, after a scene involving physical contact with Seohyun, he roughly wiped his hands with a wet tissue, causing Seohyun to reportedly shed tears on set.
The context of Kim Jung-hyun’s actions was revealed three years later in 2021 when text messages exchanged with his then-girlfriend, actress Seo Ye-ji, were made public. In the messages, Seo Ye-ji instructed Kim to remove physical contact and romance scenes from the drama. She referred to Kim as “Kim Stiff” and told him to act stiffly not only with Seohyun but also with female staff members.
Kim Jung-hyun was nominated for an award with the KBS2 drama ‘Iron Family.’ Seohyun co-hosted the event with MC Jang Sung-kyu and actor Moon Sang-min. This year’s KBS Drama Awards were pre-recorded due to the cancellation of the live broadcast following the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster and are scheduled to be aired next week.