"I Told Him to Explain It, but He Said He Would Never Do It" Hong Jin-kyung Defends Jo Se-ho Over Gang Affiliation Rumors

[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Yoon-sun] Hong Jin-kyung defended Jo Se-ho, who suspended his activities amid rumors of ties to a gang.

On the 18th, the YouTube channel "Study King Jin Jin Jae Hong Jin Kyung" released a video titled "Hong Jin-kyung Opens Up About Her Recent Feelings to Her 30-Year Best Friend Hojah Sister (+Jung Sun-hee)."

That day, Hong Jin-kyung met with Jung Sun-hee and said, "You went through such a huge pain, but strangely, people attacked the person who had already been hurt," expressing her sympathy.

She continued, "You had done nothing to deserve the criticism, but your life suddenly fell apart, and on top of that you were hit with unexplained insults. It was like a snail retreating into its shell, and no matter what I did, I couldn't bring you back out."

In response, Jung Sun-hee thanked her, saying, "Still, you kept coming back to pull me out."

Hong Jin-kyung also mentioned Jo Se-ho, who suspended his broadcasting activities after being caught up in the gang affiliation rumors.

She said, "Se-ho just likes people. And he can't say no. If it were us, and people we barely know asked us to go out for a drink, we'd say no. But he likes people, so he says things like 'hyung' and takes photos when asked. Then he gets close to them. He doesn't really know what that person does behind the scenes."

She added, "I told Se-ho, 'You should explain it,' but he said he would never do that. People say others will just understand, but seeing Se-ho this time, I felt he handled it with such grace."

She went on, "He couldn't have felt any less wronged than anyone else. But he just stayed quiet. It isn't easy to watch someone stay still until the muddy water settles. I learned a lot from that."

After hearing this, Jung Sun-hee agreed, saying, "Staying still is the hardest thing in the world. That stillness is the fiercest battle. It means fighting against your own urge to charge ahead."