Actor Park Sung Hoon has officially stepped down from his role in tvN's upcoming drama The Tyrant's Chef, following ongoing controversy surrounding an Instagram post.

On January 11th, a tvN representative shared, "After a lot of discussion between the production team and Park Sung Hoon's side, we decided it would be difficult for him to continue with this project."

The statement continued, "Both Park Sung Hoon and his agency have apologized multiple times regarding the situation. After careful thought, the decision was made for the actor and the production to part ways."

The controversy began on December 30th when Park Sung Hoon shared a parody image of Netflix’s Squid Game featuring Japanese AV (adult video) content on his Instagram Story. Although he quickly deleted the post, it spread online, sparking major backlash.

BH Entertainment, Park Sung Hoon's agency, addressed the issue, stating, "Park Sung Hoon accidentally uploaded the image after pressing on a DM (direct message) he received. He was shocked by the mistake and is reflecting deeply on the matter."

However, the public response remained critical. The scheduled script reading for The Tyrant's Chef on February 2nd was canceled, leading to speculation that it was due to the ongoing AV photo scandal. tvN, however, attributed the delay to the national mourning period at the time.

During a February 9th interview about Squid Game Season 2, Park Sung Hoon emotionally opened up about the incident.

"During the show’s release week, I received the image in a DM while sharing audience reactions with a team member. I thought it could be an issue, and while trying to forward it, there was a mistake, and it somehow ended up on my Story", he explained.

He clarified, “I deleted the photo immediately and didn’t watch the video. Some have suggested I uploaded it to a secondary account, but I don’t even have one.”

When asked why he hadn’t shared proof of the problematic DM, Park Sung Hoon responded, "I get so many messages that retrieving one from weeks ago isn’t easy."

Despite his explanations, public opinion hasn’t softened, leading to his exit from the highly anticipated drama. Fans remain divided on whether the incident was a genuine mistake or carelessness on the actor’s part.

Source: [1]

IU recently revealed that she watched her own concert film in a public theater, but shockingly, no one recognized her—even when she dropped a hint!

On February 27, a new video featuring IU was released, showing her inside a car on her way to Daejeon.

She excitedly shared, “This is a surprise stage greeting for UAENA! I picked this location through a ladder game when I did stage greetings.”

Previously, IU had let fate decide which city she would visit after her stage greetings. She happily said, “There are UAENAs everywhere I go. Wherever I go, it's a flowery path.” The game ultimately led her to Daejeon.

IU originally hoped to explore the city, saying, “I wanted to visit Daejeon's pride, Sung Sim Dang, and walk around, but my team said it wouldn’t be possible. The lines are too long, and it’s freezing outside.” She sighed, adding, “So, things turned out this way.”

Dressed up for the occasion, IU smiled, saying, “I don’t get to meet UAENAs in Daejeon often, so I wanted to make a surprise appearance looking my best.”

She also joked about enjoying surprise events, adding, “As long as Hanteo oppa drives me safely, I’m happy.”

But what really caught fans' attention was IU’s unexpected confession—she had secretly watched her concert film in a theater, but no one noticed her! “No one recognized me at all. There weren’t that many people, and it was a weekday… but still! I even gave a hint!” she said, sounding both amused and surprised.

Later, when IU finally appeared at the theater, her fans were overwhelmed with emotion. Some even burst into tears, prompting her to gently say, “You really didn’t expect me to come, right?”

After wrapping up her stage greeting, IU laughed at herself, saying, “Wait, did I just do a 40-minute one-woman show? I must have talked so much.”

On her way back to Seoul, IU reflected on the day, sharing, “It was so cold today. I shook hands with all the UAENAs. My hands are usually cold, and since the weather was freezing, I think I made a lot of people’s hands cold, too. But after touching so many warm hands, mine became warm, too. I still haven’t washed them.”

Her love for her fans truly knows no bounds!

Source: [1]