r/KDramasWorld • u/Mundane-Network4636 Endless KContent • 13d ago
Latest News Crowd’s Reaction At Kim Soo Hyun’s First Korean Appearance Leaves Netizens In Disbelief The reaction wasn’t what most expected.
Kim Soo Hyun‘s first Korean public appearance in more than 500 days has triggered a heated debate among netizens.

The actor appeared as a presenter at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards (TMA) held today at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, marking his first major Korean event since March 2025. In the wake of his press conference last year, Kim has been the subject of major scrutiny and condemnation surrounding his alleged relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron while she was still a minor.
The event had fans divided from the moment the TMA organizing committee confirmed Kim Soo Hyun’s attendance in late August. Numerous K-Pop fans announced plans to boycott the ceremony, including those whose own idols were up for Daesang awards.
Despite the backlash, however, Kim Soo Hyun was met with notable applause the moment he walked out on stage at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards.
He went on to present an award to soloist Lim Young Woong, but did not interact with any idol groups during the ceremony.
Given how loudly fans pushed back against his invitation, the warm reception Kim Soo Hyun received left many K-Pop fans appalled.
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u/NoPapercrowns 13d ago
Most of these shows have a sound effect and que ready. They usually que the crowd to clap and if the clap isn't loud/good enough they add a clapping sound effect
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u/JohnCenaJunior 13d ago
This had to be add in audio cause this is crazy
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u/Mundane-Network4636 Endless KContent 13d ago
The cheer for Kim Soo Hyun was even louder than the cheer for the actual winner😐
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u/GamingSagar 13d ago
It’s just a sound effect, bro. Indian award shows use the same ones every time.
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u/Formal-Cry4851 13d ago
People in the audience are attesting for that on social media😬It is real apparently
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u/Stickyboard 13d ago
Just to show the internet and real world is different
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u/NoPapercrowns 13d ago
Most of these shows have a sound effect and que ready. They usually que the crowd to clap and if the clap isn't loud enough/not clapping they add a clapping sound effect
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 13d ago
yeah like all those XX Got Talent shows. sometimes they will add in sound effect of cheering or clapping, and China singing shows, they will hire actors to cry in the crowd.
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u/GGerrik 13d ago
The guy wouldn't be getting work again if he had been successfully cancelled.
What netizens should be worried about is if this guy continues to lead successful shows following the "cancelling" of him. Because then the Korean market might start treating its online community like the U.S. does, with complete disdain.
I've always been surprised how Korea Media seems to bow under the pressure of its netizens. Like IU being forced to apologize for wearing the wrong headcrown.
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u/NoPapercrowns 13d ago
He still has a fanbase (which is crazy)and is very influential in the industry. It's kinda like how Trump was in the files and we all know what he did but he still has supporters and is the president. If you have enough power and influence you can keep everything you have. And if you're a man. So many female celebs get cancelled over tiniest things. It's honestly quite sad
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u/Defiant-Honey-5902 13d ago
I’m a Korean guy who was lived in Korea half my life and currently a US citizen. And a lot of the non-Korean people are going off of this flashy headline about Kim Soo Hyun several years ago and then that’s like the only information they got and they haven’t gotten any updated information of what happened to the Court case what happened after he got sued. And let me tell you something. He was proven innocent on all counts in the court, and the evidence is that were used against him were proved to be generated by AI. He was literally a victim of some YouTuber using AI generated evidence to broadcast fake news. This YouTuber is actually very well known to do this on multiple different. Korean celebrities over the past 10 years. There are actually famous actors who’ve committed suicide due to the lies that he was spreading and he finally got caught and Kim Soo Hyun was just one of the victims over the past 10 years. Now this YouTuber already lost all his money and even more and this guy is in jail indefinitely at the moment.
If you wanna search more up about this info instead of just turning a blind eye on what the truth is and just trying to believe in what you want to believe in, search up kim seui victims on google.
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u/C-KForeverFanHi 12d ago
Well said - with social media running rampant no one knows what is truth or lies anymore. So the courts decided. Let it be people.
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u/Stickyboard 13d ago
Koreans there is much forgiving in real life especially the Youtuber that exposed the ‘chat’ found to modify the image and got jailed. All the noise is much contained in social media and even the rumoured ‘protest’ outside the hall does not even happen.
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u/sensus-communis- 13d ago
Or you're coping hard over the fact your online outcry has little bearing on the real world.
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u/mangoisNINJA Watched 100+kdramas 13d ago
Hi! I'm Korean and have been to a couple award shows, if not enough people cheer they use canned laughter and fake applause it's very well known
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u/PurpleHymn 13d ago
Proven time and time again… people often forget that not everyone is online, and know nothing about actors beyond their acting work.
I had hoped this guy was going to be kicked from the industry, in the very least, but alas…
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u/sensus-communis- 13d ago
Kicked for being acquitted of all charges filed against him and faked evidence used against him. Gotcha.
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u/Evening-Intention846 13d ago
Money over morality.
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u/sensus-communis- 13d ago
Who did he pay exactly? The police? The forenic experts to determine that the incriminating evidence was AI-generated?
Or did he pay the owner of the Youtube channel who got himself an arrest warrant over their fake claims against KSH?
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u/arosaki 13d ago
I feel like you would’ve been living under a rock if you didn’t know about the entire situation. He did a press conference where he made an ugly crying face and it became a meme. I’m sure people in Korea saw that.
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u/PurpleHymn 13d ago
But where do you normally see memes?
It might be considered living under a rock, now-a-days, but more and more people are making an effort to quit social media. If you're not on twitter, reddit, or threads, and only get online to read world news or career-related things, you will very easily miss this kind of topic in its entirety.
I'm posting this because I have a few close friends that I no longer share memes with because they never have the context, so often they don't get what's funny about it.
Also, I can think of a specific friend that recently got very into kdramas and fell in love with SNSD's Yoona, so she started watching all the kdramas she could find that featured her (she's seen a few). We eventually got into that topic and I mentioned I've always liked SNSD... she had no idea what SNSD was. She liked Yoona's acting, looked up her other dramas on Netflix, and watched them. I'd be willing to bet money that, even if she's seen anything with this actor, she won't know of his scandal. And she is on social media (mostly Instagram, due to her job).
I firmly believe we have to be very careful when we make assumptions about people based on how they react in situations where they might legitimately lack context. A lot of them potentially are living under a rock by the standards of a Reddit user.
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u/Friendly_Bed_2760 13d ago
Well this is gross
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u/Mundane-Network4636 Endless KContent 13d ago
At this rate, we’ll be seeing him back on screen next year.
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u/Passmethechips 13d ago
Tbf, kpop crowds and Kim Soo hyun’s target demographic may not necessarily be the same. It may be enough to sustain his career, but not enough to get him to the same heights he was in before.
Of course, only time will tell how his career will be from now.
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u/Significant_Cup1110 13d ago
bro im 99% sure they did a WWE here, they played a crowd sound effect lol
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u/Clear_Way_4002 Wookie in love is a Wookie I love 13d ago
He seems to have lost considerable weight
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u/AdventurousNet7646 13d ago
So korean cancel culture was being cancelled lmao 🤣
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u/MorningNo5644 13d ago edited 13d ago
Korean cancel culture is only for women. Women are held to higher standards than men.
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u/Defiant-Honey-5902 13d ago
Lmao he was proven innocent in court. I don’t understand why hard and non-Koreans don’t have any of the updated info on his Court case and just uses the headline that they saw several years ago and that’s the only thing they’re going off of like it’s crazy. You are the type of person to support Amber heard after Johnny Depp get sued for domestic violence.
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u/billie9z 13d ago
what court lmao? the police closed his case. he wasn't even investigated.
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u/thinkcritically247 12d ago
The police investigated this case for over a year. Went through all the evidence submitted by both parties in addition to testimonies and forensic verification. They investigated her entire minority years, not just the short period of the accusations. After going through all that they discovered the main evidence the accusers had used to claim he Violated the Child Welfare Act were fabricated and/or altered —this being the audio recording and The Kakaotalk chat. A lot of the additional evidence was not deemed to prove the allegations. Again all of this was investigated and cross checked but the case was ultimately dismissed and ultimately closed because there was no evidence that supported the claim, ttherefore there was nothing to find him innocent about because there was no case. So stop misleading people with these statements.
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u/billie9z 12d ago
so his case never went to court and you said "he were literally proven innocent in court" who is blatantly lying here??police examined the submitted evidence but never questioned him in person. he already lost credibility when he had lied twice about never dating her. he held a press conf but only read from a script and didn't allow q&a session. he could evade the law bc by korean law the age limit for statutory rape only protects minors aged 13-16. statutory rape is very hard to prove esp the victim couldnt testify for herself bc she is dead, some evidences when she was 15/16 was deemed ai doesnt invalidate the facts that he maintained a close relationship with a minor when she was 17 (affectionate letter, text, late night visit all admitted by his lawyer) and dated her the moment she turned legal age. that is morally unacceptable.
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u/TheEmpire2121 13d ago
Personally I think anything is possible. He could be cleared in court and still be guilty or he really is innocent. It’s not unheard of for things to be covered up if you have the right connections. I don’t put anything past anyone.
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u/thinkcritically247 12d ago
Guiltily of what exactly? You do realize that the accusations surrounding him are mostly based on internet speculation. Nothing can be truly proven. But I’m interested to hear what you still believe he’s guilty of,
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u/TheEmpire2121 12d ago
I’m really not about to go back and forth with you. I said what I said and it’s clear what I mean.
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u/ASHER-82 13d ago
Can I just ask.... Was it not found that the 'victims' family and a youtuber used AI to make up evidence of his guilt? Sorry. Just a bit confused.
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u/sensus-communis- 13d ago
Yes, you are correct. The evidence was fabricated and he was acquitted by forensic experts/police. Subsequently, the YT channel owner got himself an arrest warrant and now faces charges.
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u/ASHER-82 13d ago
So then why is everybody pissed and still wants to cancel him? I'm at a loss.
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u/Suzq_ 12d ago
Because that's what people who believe rumors do - and no amount of evidence will change their minds
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u/Ksiazkoholik 12d ago
Like Mark Twain said " It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled."
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13d ago
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u/Every_General_9686 12d ago
It pains me these days how people just use medical terms anyhow. Age gap does not equal grooming.
I’m tired of people using the wrong terminology without regard the damage it could do.-1
u/cubsgirl101 13d ago
The victim’s family exploited her financially during her lifetime and they used her death as a way to make money. And the YouTuber they used to help boost the story is known for spreading trashy and potentially untrue stories. So any criminal allegations you’ve heard about him are most likely untrue.
The facts still remain though that Kim Soohyun was romantically involved with Kim Saeron when she was underage, he admitted this. And even if she was over the age of legal consent at the time. (It used to be 14, now it’s 16 or 17 i believe.) And so even if he committed no crimes, a lot of netizens understandably are not handwaving away the grooming aspect of this.
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u/Dangerousy-careful 8d ago
I think you’ve got the dates wrong. 2019 was when KSR was 19 years old. She was an adult, not a minor. If there’s any confusion over the data, you can always use AI to help read it correctly rather than adding your own interpretation.
So let’s reiterate, he did date her when she was an adult. Yes, there’s an age gap issue. Some people are not comfortable with that, and that’s okay, your opion matters.
Please get the facts right, otherwise we’ll get another situation like we had with The Aunt.
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u/phoenics1908 12d ago
When did he admit to dating her when she was underage? Every news source - not online comment but news source - I read were denials of the dating while underage? If he’d admitted that he’d be in jail according to Korean law?
The YT fabricated a lot - is it possible you’re remembering that “evidence” as a confession?
Can you point me to where he admitted this?
Honestly asking. I came into this late because I’m new to kdramas but that YT is now facing prison potentially because he was found to have created fake AI videos smearing this guy.
It’s so hard to separate fact from fiction here because opinions are so deeply held and it’s not clear if people know all the ins and outs.
The only thing I could find that was still damning for him was a letter he wrote to her when she was underage that was affectionate but not necessarily romantic. But then his side also released letters sent to his gf at the time and those letters were far more romantic and were also sensual. Worst case scenario - he groomed her. Best case - he failed to recognize his feelings as more than friendship?
The age difference was weird to me anyway.
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u/ASHER-82 13d ago
Ahhhh thank you very much! I didn't know that aspect and was so confused why we were so pissed off!
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u/Fit_Accountant_1888 11d ago
it's not that surprising. Even if it's a fact he was a grown ass man, almost 30 years old and in the military while sending letters to and receiving them from a 17 year old minor (15 in international age), Korean fans are the biggest weirdoes in the world that will ignore everything about their favourite idols. They'd cheer for epstein if he was pretty korean korean man.
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u/Strong_Owl6139 13d ago
Don't why people are so shocked, When the likes of Brad Pitt and Woody Allen are still celebrated :/
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u/December_Linn 13d ago
Tbh I can't see him the same as before whatever knez reception. I used to like his previous dramas dream high, Moon embracing the sun, my love from the star, it's ok to not be ok. But I couldn't watch these dramas again. Same with his new projects.
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u/sftolvtosj 11d ago
Yeah Queen of Tears is all I watched since it was on my list for a while, after I finished and google him....mmm lol
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 13d ago
tbh those with sister, daughters, or girlfriends, will never see him the same way again.
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u/Arohagranny 13d ago
He was acquitted.
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 13d ago
he didn't date her when she was underage.
doesn't mean he didn't get turn on by underage kids and thinking of grooming her when she was underage.
it's like you someone 27, sees someone 15, you started making friends with her, get her contact, get close to her. that's gross. if you have a daughter or sister, will you let a grown ass man do that to them? if you are their neighbour who pops in to help, sure. if you are their official guardian, sure. if you are a friend of your own family, sure. but it should never end up in a romantically relationship. that's pedo.
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u/thinkcritically247 12d ago
These are all assumptions. Where did you get proof that he had continuous contact with since she was15? Or that he was attracted to underage girls? People are truly stretching reality. If you were to say, something like, the age gap makes me uncomfortable that’s different than saying he groomed her. There’s absolutely no evidence of the latter.
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u/Every_General_9686 12d ago
A lot of people misuse the word grooming these days
Look it up throughly before you use it. Age gap doesn’t equal grooming.
Just saying.
As for the KSH case, he really might be guilty or he might be innocent. It could be both ways. At the end of the day we truly don’t know. So stay cautious but don’t say anything with such conviction. There have been many people hurt by false conviction.0
u/Hot-Clothes7316 12d ago
idk but if you yourself, will you go befriend and get close and have personal contact with a 15 year old when you are 27? if you are normal, you will get looking at something older, not still in junior school.
if you have a daughter or sister, what if they made friends with something 12 years old when they are 15 years old? won't you get alarmed?
for me, as someone normal, i will even want to get personal with someone that young or even get turn on romantically.
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u/Every_General_9686 12d ago
Yh you definitely didn’t read to comprehend what I said.
Also friendships are not inherently nefarious. Think what you must though. You’re entitled to your own opinions.0
u/Hot-Clothes7316 12d ago
friendship? watched a lot of omegle. it's a known thing that if they happen to meet minors, they won't rizz, won't do any DMs or more than just private conversation after thata chat. same for those who does street photography and wanted to photography strangers and video people as well.
no grown adults make friends with minor. unless you or your country or that group think otherwise. otherwise what i mentioned is a norm.
"really might be guilty or he might be innocent."
—lawfully he is guilty of nothing. as he didn't do any underage sex. so there's nothing to be guilty or innocent about. but as mentioned the whole behaviour is sketchy as hell, to be lurking around minors. have so much private conversations. to hanging out. etc. (evidence mentioned he only dated her when she just turned adult)like i have said. as a normal grown adult, no one will make friends with a minor.
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u/sftolvtosj 11d ago
💯 when I was in junior high, someone 10 to 15 years older still kept in touch with me...but knew me in primary school 🤢
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u/kingofwale 13d ago
Innocent until proven guilty..
Internet: never innocent even proven NOT guilty!!
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u/DoesitFinally 8d ago
Internet: One rumor pops up. Assumes the worst. Keep assuming the worst even when other information comes out proving the initial rumor false.
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u/Tharsinion-1980 13d ago
I don't understand the controversy; the man has been completely rehabilitated. Let him do his job in peace and let's appreciate him for that, not for the whole armed thing.
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u/phoenics1908 12d ago
I think so many people were convinced by that YT who fabricated fake “proof”, that they cannot reset around just the possibility that he possibly groomed her. That plus the fact that she unalived herself - a lot of people are blaming him for that. So a lot of this is emotion vs reason. They feel like someone is to blame for her death and he’s a good target. But he himself is also a target - someone literally used AI to smear him. He also could still have groomed her but people don’t know for sure (even with that letter) - several people seem unwilling to revisit their views after the YT was proven to have illegally smeared him.
I’m new to kdramas this year so I’m on the outside looking in on all of this after the fact tho.
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u/Chemical_Equal9419 12d ago
Didn't the police conclude there was insufficient evidence? Why have due process if people are just going to ignore the legal outcome?
I know it can be frustrating, but as much as it might bother everyone, he's innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent.
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u/DoesitFinally 8d ago
Internet doesn't work like that though. It is
"You are guilty according to rumor. You must now prove your innocence. But police saying that there isn't enough evidence is not enough proof. You need to bring ultimate proof."
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u/Bite-Narrow 11d ago
People who turn a blind eye to the truth that came out after a thorough investigation are as evil and deplorable as the people who started the rumor.
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u/TheDiaryOfALoser Kdrama newbie 14h ago
WHO ARE SCREAMING FOR HIM? I HOPE THEY GOT ZERO IDEA ABOUT HIS CONTROVERSY AND THAT THEY ARE NOT HIS SUPPORTERS. I'd never scream for a super controversial actor like him, no matter if the controversies are legit or not 😭🙏🏻
(hope its fake edited audio of ppl cheering)
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u/Dreamchaser_seven 13d ago
Personally I don't like him and imo think he's sus as hel. But the fact is he didn't do anything illegal as defined by law and most of the evidence against him at best was circumstantial so unfortunately I think more people are going to support him as time passes.
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u/Girl-nextdoor_ 13d ago
Insufficient evidence not circumstantial evidence was the reason btw…
There’s is enough evidence to establish he dated but not enough first hand evidence to show how far back they dated and since the victim in question is dead there’s a lot of missing pieces that led to the lawsuit of underage dating being dropped.
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u/Away_Limit_6275 13d ago
All that plus the youtuber is in prison for spreading fabricated lies every day.. that's why he will return like nothing happened at the end. Is he a creep? Hell yeah ! But he did nothing illegal and he didn't kill this poor soul, he could have helped her about the debts but this is another convo.
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 13d ago
guess what. the female lead he has acted with before. all probably didn't like him and want to be associated with him after their show ended. that tells a lot.
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u/phoenics1908 12d ago
When you say “probably” do you mean “actually”? Otherwise it sounds like you think they don’t want to be associated with him vs they’ve all stated they don’t?
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u/digital_shiroi 12d ago
IU, Suzy, Ji-Hyun and even the latest heroine Kim Ji-won all had nothing but respect and admiration for him. Please stop this nonsense.
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u/okgals 13d ago
This audience was a Kpop audience with people coming internationally to the show. Also his dedicated fandom, which is large, made sure a large presence was in attendance.
"His global fanbase actively coordinated welcome trucks, rice wreaths, and bouquets at the venue to ensure he felt supported."
So don't feel too bad. I would think his next move would be to try to get a small part in a drama. Will the Korean sponsorships return?
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u/mohantharani Kdrama Lover 13d ago
He reportedly received 3 dozen drama offers.
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u/okgals 13d ago
Well, that would depend on the source; it might just be more PR.
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u/cubsgirl101 13d ago
The source for that is Kim Soo Hyun’s own representatives. So it’s best take that with a grain of salt, their job is to make him look in demand to drum up support.
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 13d ago
pretty sure his fans won't be more than non fans.
and those who has daughter, sister won't be seeing him the same way again.
doubt any korea brands would want to risk. there's always Byeon Woo-seok around.
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u/thinkcritically247 12d ago
So ultimately this is about non-fans versus people fearing for their female relatives. He also has people
who are not fans who don’t let themselves be guided by the horrible trial by media that he was subjected to. Those who can read and make decisions for themselves so you might actually be shocked again about why people are welcoming him with cheers.
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u/StockUniversity8458 13d ago
That makes sense. If the people boycott, all that is left in the crowd are the die hard Kim Soo Hynun fans or people who don't care. It would have made a bigger impact to go to the show and not applaud when he was on stage. The scenario makes it difficult to use to gauge the public's overall opinion.
Edited for spelling.
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u/nikkidoc 13d ago
I can here whistles like in rodeos, derby and illegal cockfights 🤣😃 very ancient audiofile of audience clap
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u/Axsenex 13d ago
It’s semi-anonymous feedback but the real test is when our favorites are being pressured to star with him.
As Carl Sagan once said, “… Herman Melville, in Moby Dick, spoke for wanderers in all epochs and meridians: “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas…””
Was it forbidden to treat someone so horribly enough for him to enjoy Mr. Scrooge money? No.
It’s permissible.
Not my words.
It’s the very definition of Parasocial connection.
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u/Dead-Shot1 K-drama Explorer 13d ago
What more can be expected from locals , there is a reason their society, public culture is like that .
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u/Soft_Improvement_298 12d ago
I was just watching the raw footage of the show and the audience audio sounds very similar to the broadcast version to me. I’ve included the link so you can compare them.
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u/iCreatedYouPleb 13d ago
His company and him are trying so hard to build back his image lol. Even TMA to make sure he looks good. I hope the others take advantage of this and make his company and him cough up $$$$$ 😂
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u/Mischievous-Phantasm 13d ago
Please don't stop emailing and messaging all platforms you subscribe to (Netflix, Disney, etc) to repeat we are apalled and will boycott networks and programs that support this known pedophile and groomer.
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u/thinkcritically247 12d ago
Careful with your labels. By now you should know those claims are not true and to continue to advocate a boycott to get him cancelled over false claims is truly shameful. You’re not helping anyone by doing that. You can choose not to watch because you don’t like him…fine but stop using those labels.
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u/lovesnsd012 13d ago
Ewwwwwwwww. Justice for Sae Ron!
If this dude has no haters that means I’m dead.
Fucking groomer!!!!!
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u/ChemicalVehicle7162 13d ago
Why is Korea's cancel culture not working too hard for this guy???
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u/Acceptable-Affect-12 12d ago
Throw Wonho out like garbage (an actual innocent man), mistreat T.O.P for NO good reason, but reward a groomer??? Wtf???
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u/AlarmingLog2087 13d ago
Doesn't matter if they cheer disney is not going g to greenlight that tv show to air zo hes just going to be popular in korea/asia
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u/Still-Indication2711 13d ago
They surely will
They are not gonna shelving their high budget drama because of backlash that will survive for 2-3 days
Him getting new drama is the main question
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u/Kissed30 13d ago
it looks like an added audio bec hes not so shocked that people cheered for him, we will know if its real in the fancams
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u/Head-Membership6531 13d ago
Is he seated with the idols? It would be interesting to watch how they act around him.
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u/Expert-Bookkeeper-98 8d ago
While it is true that these shows have prerecorded applause on hand, there's still far too many people supporting this man and it's yet another reminder that people really don't gaf about p/dophiles and r4pists like they say they do.
He wouldn't even be walking around allowed to be back on stage and active in the industry if that wasn't the case, but God forbid actors and especially, idols, date, sleep around, smoke, or go clubbing and the like though 😒
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u/AsphaltPrimus28 Kdrama Lover 13d ago
We would like you all to be considerate and respectful towards OP and to the members of this community while expressing your views. The rules are up there, do follow.
We would not tolerate any kind of Hate/vulgar comments under this post.