Hong Jin-kyung Opens Up About Sudden Wave of Hateful Comments: "Being Born Feels Like a Crime... I'll Be More Careful"

[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Yoon-sun] Broadcaster Hong Jin-kyung opened up honestly about the hateful comments directed at her.

On the 18th, a video titled "Hong Jin-kyung's Recent Feelings Shared with Her 30-Year Best Friend Hoja Unnie (+Jung Sun-hee)" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Study King Jin Jin Jae Hong Jin Kyung."

In the video, Hong Jin-kyung said, "I've been getting a lot of hateful comments lately. So I asked ChatGPT why people are criticizing Hong Jin-kyung."

She then went through ChatGPT's analysis one by one. When the first reason cited was "a strong character and a blunt way of speaking," Hong Jin-kyung recalled a recent article involving her daughter, Rael.

She gave a wry laugh and said, "Not long ago, I said, 'Rael isn't interested in studying. If she doesn't want to go to college, I have no intention of sending her.' Then it was splashed across the headlines. They ran with, 'Hong Jin-kyung, Kim Rael give up on college,' and Rael called me and asked, 'Mom, did I give up on college?'"

"I did ramble a bit, but the media added another layer on top," she continued. "I never said she gave up on college. I meant that if Rael has no intention of going, I don't want to force her. But she's still young, so her mind could change, right?" She added with a laugh, "The people leaving comments are the same. They were like, 'Fine, just sell kimchi then.'"

The second reason listed was "a unique and unpredictable character." When it was pointed out that viewers might find her over the top, Hong Jin-kyung said, "I'll try to be a little more careful."

When the analysis said she could be polarizing because she has a strong presence on TV, she replied, "Do I really have that much presence? On shows like 'Problem Child in House,' I'm completely hunched over. My mother even tells me to sit a little farther forward."

She then explained, "Everyone has long legs, so Woo Jae and I keep bumping into each other. If I don't want to bump into him, I have to move back, so I ended up sitting farther back. And there are so many people there. I can't even cut in when they're talking."

She let out a deep sigh at the assessment that she has a strong businesswoman image. The production team advised, "Try softening your makeup," and Hong Jin-kyung responded, "I only wear lip balm. I barely do any base makeup, and I just put a little under-eye makeup on. But even that gets criticized. They say, 'Are you Egyptian?' I'll try to reflect the feedback as much as possible, but it's really hard."

Finally, when the analysis said that bigger challenges, such as the Paris Fashion Week project she took on with model Lee So-ra, naturally invite more criticism, Hong Jin-kyung asked, "So should I just lie at home? Then people would probably say I'm living too passively without any challenge at all."

She added, "I seemed a little lethargic, and they said things like, 'How is Lee So-ra supposed to get any energy from the way you're acting?' and 'Lee So-ra says she'll put her underwear in the washing machine, so why are you making such a fuss?'" She then revealed her bitter feelings, saying, "The biggest reason is that being born is a crime. Sometimes it really feels like just being born is a crime."