“I was only able to stand tall as actor Kim Seon-ho because of the people who cheered me on, but I had forgotten this fact. I also take this time to apologise to the many people who worked with me on various productions for the harm which I have caused, due to my mistakes.”

The letter from his ex-girlfriend detailed how he manipulated and mentally abused her, including forcing her to have an abortion and lying about marrying her.

His management agency Salt Entertainment subsequently released their statement, apologising for causing alarm to many people due to his private matters and to those hurt by the revelation.

Korean media also reported that Seon-ho will drop out of hosting the popular variety show 2 Days & 1 Night. The production team reportedly had a meeting this morning to confirm his departure.

The team said they would edit out his scenes to the best of their abilities in episodes that were filmed prior to the scandal to “minimise the discomfort inflicted on viewers”.

The other show hosts — Yeon Jung-hoon, Moon Se-yoon, DinDin, Kim Jong-min and Ravi — are reportedly feeling very disappointed with the shocking turn of events.

The fate of three movies that Seon-ho is due to star in are also up in the air. Koreaboo reported that Tristes Tropiques is scheduled to begin production next month, Dog Days in December and 2pm Date in March, but it is uncertain whether the productions will keep Seon-ho in the cast or find a replacement actor.

Several brands he endorses removed his images from their social media accounts even before he admitted to the scandal, and Seon-ho would likely have to deal with the fallout.

On 26 October 2021, Dispatch revealed information that contradicted what his ex-girlfriend said about him. From Soompi, we consolidated the information to the key points.

For those unfamiliar with Dispatch, they are a widely-known site that exposes idol couples annually, who often back their claims with photo proof and screenshots.

In this way, while his ex-girlfriend (who is revealed by Dispatch to be Choi Young-ah, a weather forecaster turned influencer) brought up that Seon-ho and her only dated in secret, Dispatch alleged that the couple actually went on dates to the zoo and other public places. They even released a photo of Seon-ho and Young-ah at a pet cafe together in October 2020.

According to Dispatch, a friend of Seon-ho’s who they referred to as ‘B’, alleged that Seon-ho’s initial reaction to his ex’s pregnancy was to tell her “it’s a blessing, don’t cry”. He also said that it was a combined decision to get the abortion and that Seon-ho had cooked seaweed soup for Young-ah for two weeks despite not knowing how to cook.

However, it apparently wasn’t just Seon-ho’s friends who came to his defence. Young-ah’s friend also allegedly spoke up against her, contradicting her claims about Seon-ho being stingy with his money and that she “distorted” the truth.

In the end, Dispatch wrote that ‘B’ said Seon-ho apologised instead of clearing his name because “he tried to understand” and that “he didn’t want to fight about his private life in front of the whole nation”.

Since Dispatch’s accounts of the scandal went viral, fans have voiced their support for Seon-ha. They’ve called out the K-entertainment’s ‘cancel culture’, and have started petitions to let Seon-ha remain on 2 Days 1 Night. They are currently voting for him for ‘Best Asian Artist Award’.

Certain brands such as Miima also have Kim Seon-ho back on their website and have unarchived all videos and posts with him.

While nothing is confirmed and with Seon-ha and his company making no further statements, fans seem relieved and in high spirits once more.

Text: Kwok Kar Peng/AsiaOne, Additional reporting: Terri Kue

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