SEOUL - K-drama actor Kim Jung-hyun, who was embroiled in a scandal involving his ex-lover, actress Seo Yea-ji, earlier this year, has finally broken his silence.

In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday (Sept 25), the Crash Landing On You actor wrote: "The past few months have felt as if I was floating without knowing where the floor was. I had been busy trying to urge myself on and I felt empty, as if I had no place to rest my heart."

"It had been difficult for me to just hold on," the 31-year-old said, adding that he was able to take the time to contemplate his actions.

The scandal, which erupted in April, was over text messages between him and Seo, 31, the star of It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020). The text messages seemed to imply that she was controlling his behaviour towards the female lead in Time, the K-drama he was filming in 2018.

He allegedly requested many script changes to avoid touching his co-star Seohyun, citing an eating disorder, and eventually dropped out of the drama.

When the text messages came to light, he apologised and reportedly sought treatment in hospital for depression and insomnia which had plagued him since the start of his career.

In his latest post, which was accompanied by a photo of a bench with a plaque engraved with "This too shall pass", he wrote: "I am a very lacking person. I have been reflecting on not having taken responsibility for the choice I had made. I had been busy blaming others and I acknowledge my mistake in being unable to look after my own health."

He also signalled that he was ready to go back to acting as he confirmed rumours that he had signed with a new management agency, Story J Company, which is the same agency as top actress Kim Tae-hee.

"I am an actor. I had been thinking about how I can give back and how I can approach the public once more, and after deliberating on it, I think the only thing I can do is to act."