[Sportschosun, Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Singer and musical actress Ock Joo-hyun has brought up the so-called 'Ockjangpan' controversy from four years ago again, saying she wants a public apology. Meanwhile, Kim Ho-young, the musical actor at the center of the dispute, has offered no comment and is only sharing updates from New York.
In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang on the 7th, Ock revisited the 'Ockjangpan' controversy that erupted in 2022 and said, "I have never received an apology." She added, "I was told, 'Thank you for dropping the lawsuit,' but an apology and gratitude are completely different things," expressing regret over how the situation was handled.
Ock said, "If the post was written to promote my friend's father's flooring business, that should have been made clear to the public," adding, "After the incident, advertising contracts were canceled and partner companies also suffered major damage."
She continued, "I was never truly okay. I only acted as if I were fine and kept performing," and added, "Because of the 'Ockjangpan' label, the controversy followed me every time I worked on a production, and in the end I even chose to step away from a project for everyone's sake."
The interview followed Ock's recent remarks on a fan communication platform, where she said, "The thing I regret most after everything that happened is dropping the lawsuit."
By contrast, Kim has not issued any separate statement regarding Ock's latest remarks.
On the 6th, Kim posted several photos from his trip to New York on his social networking service account, along with the brief caption "NY." The images showed him enjoying a relaxed time on the streets of New York and at restaurants, with no mention of the controversy.
Their conflict began in 2022 during casting disputes over the musical 'Elisabeth.' At the time, Kim posted on his social networking service account, "The old saying 'asari-ppan' is outdated. These days, it's 'ockjangpan,'" and the post was widely interpreted as a jab at Ock.
Ock filed a defamation complaint against Kim, but later withdrew it. Kim's side explained that the post was meant to promote a flooring business run by a friend's father. Although the legal dispute was eventually settled, Ock has now reopened the old wound, saying four years later that she "has never received an apology," while Kim continues to remain silent without making any public statement.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
