Netizens are outraged that Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won are being replaced in "Arthdal Chronicles 2".

A surprising shift in the casting of "Arthdal Chronicles 2" was announced on April 20th, which received a lot of interest.

As a result, the major characters in Season 2 will no longer be performed by Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won. Instead, Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung are said to have been cast as the male and female leads, respectively.

"Arthdal Chronicles" on tvN is an ancient historical fantasy drama about mythological heroes situated in the fictional kingdom of Arth.

Despite its high production cost, the first season sparked controversy and received lower-than-expected audience ratings due to weak visual effects, an unappealing plot, and accusations of plagiarism. Despite mixed reviews for season one, "Arthdal Chronicles" was renewed for a second season.

Netizens are speculating if the Season 1's disappointing results forced some key actor and crew members to leave for season 2.

In addition to Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won declining to reprise their roles, director Kim Won Seok backed out of the project. Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung are currently in negotiations to play Eun Seom and Tanya in season 2.

While most viewers are satisfied with Lee Joon Gi replacing Song Joong Ki because his performance is just as superb, the announcement of Shin Se Kyung's appointment has sparked controversy.

Netizens argue that Shin Se Kyung's acting isn't good enough for the part, especially since she has to live up to Kim Ji Won's performance.

Some netizens' thoughts:

• We waited three years for this news? Who is Shin Se Kyung? What's the matter with the producers?
• Shin Se Kyung is a bad actor. She'll ruin everything!
• Lee Joon Gi is fine, but what about Shin Se Kyung? She is unable to act.
• I'm not going to watch. They changed both of the main characters.

Source[1]

While Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon) continues to make shocking claims about Kim Soo Hyun, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho has stepped up to clear Cha Eun Woo’s name.

On April 3, Lee Jin Ho uploaded a video titled "After Kim Soo Hyun, is Cha Eun Woo next? Fact-checking Gaseyeon’s false claims" on his YouTube channel Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho.

Lee Jin Ho strongly denied Gaseyeon’s claim that Cha Eun Woo didn’t attend Kim Sae Ron’s funeral, saying, “This proves once again that they don’t even check basic facts.”

He added, “Cha Eun Woo was definitely at the funeral. He was there from the first evening until late at night. Multiple people saw him, greeted him, and even sat with him at the table.”

The rumor started on March 31, when Kim Se Ui, a member of Gaseyeon, made a cryptic statement during a live broadcast, saying, “Cha Eun Woo, Cha Eun Woo’s manager, you will face divine punishment.” This immediately sparked speculation.

Cha Eun Woo and Kim Sae Ron were known to be close, especially when she was under Fantagio. They worked together on the web drama To Be Continued and co-hosted Show! Music Core. Fans were surprised when rumors spread that Cha Eun Woo didn’t attend her funeral, but Lee Jin Ho’s statement has now set the record straight.

Meanwhile, Kim Sae Ron’s family has taken legal action against Lee Jin Ho, filing a defamation lawsuit on March 17 under the Information and Communications Network Act. Ten days later, they also sued him under the anti-stalking law, accusing him of exposing private details about Kim Sae Ron and her family.

Source (1)