[SBS Star] Ahn Se-ha Denies School Bullying Accusations; Many Alumni Step Up for the Claimed Victim

Following the recent accusation of school bullying involving actor Ahn Se-ha, former students of the school have come forward to support the individual claiming to be the victim. On September 9, a post titled 'Exposing a celebrity's school bullying; actor Ahn Se-ha (real name Ahn Jae-wook)' garnered significant attention online. The writer, Z, claimed to have attended Namsan Middle School in Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam-do with Ahn Se-ha. Z also claimed that Ahn Se-ha bullied him at school with a group of other students. During our third year at school, Ahn Se-ha took me to a room where five or six members of his friend group were waiting. Ahn Se-ha picked up a big piece of glass and started threatening me, poking me in the stomach. He forced me to fight with one of them. , Z wrote. According to Z, the bullying continued until a teacher became aware of the situation and intervened. I'll never forget how Ahn Se-ha threatened me with a piece of glass and how he humiliated me by forcing me to fight one of them. , Z added. Z also posted Ahn Se-ha's photos in the school graduation album. Sometimes later, individuals identifying as Z's alumni began to voice their support for Z in the comments section. One of them, Y, said, I was a classmate of writer Z. Although we weren't close, I remember who Z was. Everything Z wrote is true. Noting that Ahn Se-ha had been famously a bully in the school, Y said he/she was aware of the incident that Z wrote; I knew Z was bullied, but I didn't do anything because I was scared for my safety. I felt awful about it. , Y remarked. I was a bystander 25 years ago, and I always felt ashamed about my inaction. , Y added, promising to provide testimony for writer Z if there is a legal dispute with Ahn Se-ha's agency. Another individual, X, wrote, I thought about staying quiet, but the bravery of some people from our school inspired me to write this. Ahn Se-ha was in the group of bullies, and they had connections with other bullies in the neighborhood. X also gave specific details about their school, including the color and style of the school uniforms, to support his claims. In addition to X and Y, remarks from alleged alumni have piled up in the comment section of Z's post, making the allegations about Ahn Se-ha's involvement in school bullying stronger. On September 10, Ahn Se-ha's agency, HUNUS Entertainment, denied Ahn Se-ha's school bullying allegation, stating that recent online accusations are false. We've been working with him for over a decade. Ahn Se-ha is a great actor and a fellow human being. This allegation has caused significant emotional distress for him. We submitted a petition to the cyber investigation unit regarding the false accusations. We are pursuing defamation charges in response to spreading false information. , the agency announced. Ahn Se-ha debuted in the 2011 play 'New Boing Boing' and has since appeared in numerous films and television series. His notable works include KBS' TV series 'Love in the Moonlight' and JTBC's TV series 'King the Land'. (Credit= Online Community, HUNUS Entertainment, 'seha___ahn' Instagram) (SBS Star)

[SBS Star] Hong Seok-chun Recalls B-Day Gift Byeon Woo-seok Gave Him During Struggling Early Days

Entertainer Hong Seok-chun shared his past episode with actor Byeon Woo-seok. On September 2, Hong Seok-chun guested on KBS Cool FM's radio show 'Park Myung-soo's Radio Show' hosted by comedian Park Myung-soo. During the show, Hong Seok-chun shared the criteria for inviting guests to his YouTube show 'Jewel Box', which garnered attention after Byeon Woo-seok guested. The guest should be a man who everyone would consider attractive. The things I value are how their eyes sparkle, the colors of their voices, and how they laugh. , the entertainer revealed. So, simply being good-looking isn't enough? , Park Myung-soo asked; No, they need to be somewhat talented in their fields. , Hong Seok-chun replied. Mentioning that 'Jewel Box' has recently received an award, Hong Seok-chun talked about the show's popularity. I meet many people who watch my show when I travel to various Asian countries. The show is known to not only people in Korea but also people from other countries. , Hong Seok-chun proudly stated. When asked how Byeon Woo-seok had guested on his show, Hong Seok-chun replied, I've known Woo-seok since he debuted as a model. When I was younger, I would throw my birthday party every year. Woo-seok always showed up and congratulated me. He's very kind and sweet. When he was a model, I always told him to switch to acting. It took him some time to pursue acting since he was passionate about modeling. But after setting his mind to acting, he put in a lot of effort and eventually achieved his goal. , Hong Seok-chun fondly added. He resumed, There's an episode I still can vividly remember; it was back when Woo-seok was a model and didn't have much money. He asked me what I'd like for my birthday, and I told him underwear. Then, he gifted me a set of three pieces. It was great since I love getting underwear as gifts. When Park Myung-soo asked him to get Byeon Woo-seok to guest on 'Park Myung-soo's Radio Show', Hong Seok-chun playfully responded, Well, I don't see why he would do that. I know this show is popular, but he should not be bothered getting involved with you, Park Myung-soo. Radio is a live broadcast, you know. I might accidentally badmouth you here, Hong Seok-chun. I can bring anyone down if I fight tooth and nail. , Park Myung-soo jokingly remarked, causing Hong Seok-chun to burst into laughter. (Credit= 'KBS CoolFM' YouTube, 'byeonwooseok' 'tonyhong1004' Instagram) (SBS Star)

[SBS Star] BTS JIMIN's Father Faces Backlash for Allegedly Profiting Off His Son's Fame

JIMIN of K-pop boy group BTS' father, Mr. Park, is drawing criticism for allegedly using his son's fame to generate personal income. Back on August 11, JIMIN's father had planned a fan meeting in Takasaki, Japan, but it was canceled. This event was meant to mark the opening of a Japanese branch of the cafe Mr. Park operates. In the cancellation notice, the organizers stated, We expected a great number of fans to come to our event, since it is Mr. Park's first time holding such an event in Japan. However, Mr. Park was unable to travel to Japan due to personal reasons. We are sorry to inform you that the event has unfortunately been canceled. Mr. Park runs a cafe in Busan, which attracts many fans due to JIMIN's global popularity. The cafe also sells various merchandise, including T-shirts, tumblers, hats, hand creams, and more, mostly in BTS' signature color, purple. Products that symbolize JIMIN's birth year, 1995, are also available. These merchandise items are priced between 20,000 and 75,000 won, with a gold necklace costing as much as 320,000 won. Given JIMIN's immense popularity across the globe, Mr. Park is also reported to have gained a celebrity-like status. Visitor reviews reveal that long lines of fans waiting for Mr. Park's autograph are common, with extensive lines frequently forming. The current controversy mainly revolves around the merchandise featuring Mr. Park's autograph and the canceled fan meeting in Japan; it has also been noted that Mr. Park was planning to sell PAPA autographed T-shirts at the canceled event. Some argue that Mr. Park is taking advantage of BTS and JIMIN's fame for personal gain. There are concerns that the all the past fan events held at Mr. Park's cafe might be harming JIMIN's image as well. (Credit= HYBE Labels, Online Community) (SBS Star)

[SBS Star] Kang Minkyung Recounts Crazy Attention She Received as the Only Trainee in Her High School

Kang Minkyung of K-pop duo DAVICHI recalled her high school days when she had to deal with a lot of attention. On July 22, Kang Minkyung posted a video of her trip to the United States with her friends on her YouTube channel. In the video, Kang Minkyung and her friend from high school talked about when the singer transferred to their all-girls high school in their first year. I remember the students staring at me as if I were a monkey in a zoo when I arrived at the school. , the singer recalled. Although it was before Kang Minkyung's debut, she was known for her good looks on the social media platform Cyworld, which was popular back then. I wasn't that famous, though. But my homeroom teacher told everyone that the new student coming was a trainee at an entertainment company. There weren't many trainees like me back then, and I was the only one in my school. , the singer recalled. As I arrived at school on my first day, students gathered at the windows to see me. Even though I like getting attention, it made me feel too uncomfortable. I'm used to having many people watching me now, but I wasn't back then. On my first day, I wore a pair of coffee-colored stockings. Then the homeroom teacher told me that the school requires everyone to wear black-colored stockings. , Kang Minkyung said. So I bought one and went to the restroom to change my stockings. And as I was trying to change, lifting my skirt and all, a girl climbed up the cubicle door and watched me. , the singer recalled, sharing how startled she was. She continued, When I got home that day, I told my mom I couldn't keep going to school like this anymore. My mom dismissed it immediately, so I had to carry on. Kang Minkyung also shared that students from other classes used to flock to her during breaks to snap her pictures. Then, my classmates started covering the corridor windows with newspapers whenever recess arrived. They also blocked the front and back doors to stop other students from entering. I was extremely grateful. I didn't get along with my classmates, but they still did those things. Their main goal was to prevent any inconvenience, but it brought me a lot of comfort. I felt very grateful and started to relax a little. My heart just melted. I was like, 'You guys are all my friends.', although it was a one-sided feeling. , she concluded. (Credit= '걍밍경' YouTube, Online Community) (SBS Star)

[SBS Star] Hwang Kwang Hee Shares How Abruptly He Was Removed from the Show He Used to Host

Hwang Kwang Hee of K-pop boy group ZE:A said he was removed abruptly from the YouTube show he was hosting. In a recent episode of 'Butler Kwang', a YouTube show hosted by Hwang Kwang Hee, ERIC and YOUNGHOON of K-pop boy group THE BOYZ guested. ERIC has been doing so well on shows, becoming an up-and-coming entertainer. , Hwang Kwang Hee remarked, adding, Seriously, he may take my seat at any moment. It all happens in the blink of an eye! Then, ERIC said, When I was asked to host a new show on the YouTube channel where Hwang Kwang Hee used to do a show, I called him and told him about it. He responded, 'So you are the one who took my spot?'. Hwang Kwang Hee talked about when the YouTube channel ERIC mentioned earlier suddenly told him to leave the show. The channel's production crew suddenly talked about my step-down from the show. They said they were ending the show, which was surprising considering how well it was going. I said, 'Oh, I see. Who's the next cast, then?'. They told me they were planning a new show with someone amazing. Although I said I'd root for the channel on their faces, I was using colorful words inside my head. 'Let's see how far your show goes without me!', I thought. I got pretty drunk that day and went to church to repent of cursing others. , Hwang Kwang Hee remarked. ERIC mentioned that Hwang Kwang Hee was actually very supportive when he shared the ZE:A member the news about his new show. Hwang Kwang Hee gave me a lot of advice, which helped a lot. 'You are an energetic and cheerful person. Just be yourself, and everyone will like you.', he told me. Thanks to him, I had a blast filming the show. , he said. Hwang Kwang Hee mentioned that ERIC once guested when he was hosting the show and said, I learned a valuable lesson from that experience: don't invite talented people to appear on your show. ; his humorous remark made everyone laugh. ERIC teased Hwang Kwang Hee by saying he would take over the host position of 'Butler Kwang' too, adding more laughter to the show. (Credit= '풀무릉도원' YouTube) (SBS Star)