Scandal-plagued South Korean stars step back into spotlight

SEOUL – A wave of once-disgraced South Korean celebrities are returning to the spotlight following high-profile blow-ups.

Actress Seo Yea-ji recently appeared on TV for the first time since stepping away from the public eye following a series of media firestorms. The allegations against the 35-year-old included mistreating staff, falsifying her academic credentials, engaging in school bullying and pressuring her then-boyfriend, actor Kim Jung-hyun, to cut romantic scenes and physical contact with a female co-star.

She was also entangled in rumours of alleged romantic ties to actor Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Ro-be, the co-founder and co-executive producer of Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Goldmedalist.

Seo, who rose to stardom with hit dramas such as Save Me (2017) and It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020), faced fierce backlash, prompting an extended hiatus.

On March 30, she made her small-screen comeback for the first time since the controversies emerged in 2021, appearing as a guest on the long-running culinary travel show Huh Young Man’s Food Travel. In it, she visited Wonju, a city in Gangwon province, alongside host Huh Young-man.

Seo is also slated to host the second episode of SNL Korea 7, which is known for its satire and often confronts the controversies of its celebrity guests.

Actor Yoo Ah-in, who was released from prison in February after serving five months on drug-related charges, has also resurfaced in the entertainment scene.

The 38-year-old stars opposite actor Lee Byung-hun in The Match, a drama film based on the real-life story of legendary baduk, or Go, players Lee Chang-ho and Cho Hoon-hyun.

Production of The Match was completed in 2021, but its release was indefinitely shelved after Yoo was charged with drug offences.

Initially slated for distribution by Netflix, the streaming platform later opted not to release the film. It was then picked up by local studio BY4M Studio for a theatrical roll-out, marking Yoo’s first screen appearance since his downfall.

Actress Kim Hieora, who found mainstream success through her portrayal of Lee Sa-ra, a character struggling with drug addiction, in Netflix’s hit revenge drama The Glory (2022 to 2023), is also making a comeback.

Following her breakout role, the 36-year-old was accused of bullying other students in her middle school years – allegations that hit especially hard given the premise of The Glory, which centres on a woman seeking revenge against those who bullied her at school.

Kim returns to the big screen later in 2025 with occult thriller The Saviour. She plays Choon-seo, a single mum entangled in supernatural chaos. It marks her first film project in two years following the controversy.

Actress Park Han-byul – best known for the films Wishing Stairs (2003) and Little Black Dress (2011) – has returned to TV.

The 40-year-old’s career came to a halt after her husband Yoo In-suk was implicated in the Burning Sun scandal in 2019, which centred on a network of celebrities accused of crimes ranging from filming illicit videos without consent to sexual assault to prostitution.

Yoo was reportedly a key figure in the case alongside former BigBang member Seungri.

Park returned to TV last week through the tvN entertainment show Dad And I, in which she opened up about the toll the scandal had taken on her life. The episode showed her breaking down in tears while discussing her relationship with her father.

She also addressed the public fallout: “I was overwhelmed with extreme thoughts... I wondered if things would only end if I died. There was nothing I could do.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK