Actor Kim Dong-hee began to quietly look for a return after about a year of self-reflection after apologizing for the school violence controversy.
Kim Dong-hee posted a greeting on New Year's Day, January 1st of this year, saying, "I pray that 2023 will be a happy year for everyone. Happy New Year." This is an update about a year after he apologized for the school violence controversy.
After greeting the New Year, Kim Dong-hee released 6 photos without any text on the 5th. The photo is Kim Dong-hee's new profile photo. Kim Dong-hee is wearing a black turtleneck and looking at the camera. In the following photo, he is posing while wearing a black shirt, a white shirt, and a jacket.
In February 2021, an article was posted on an online community saying that Kim Dong-hee frequently bullied a friend with disabilities during middle school. The agency, NPO Entertainment, stated that it was “unfounded” and predicted strong legal action.
Kim Dong-hee immediately denied the school violence controversy through his agency and then sued the author of the article for defamation. Ten months later, the law firm Douwoo, which served as Kim Dong-hee's legal representative, said, "We tried for a long time to determine the truth, but the victims were cleared of the charges."
The legal representative cleverly announced that Kim Dong-hee was not guilty of school violence. Ultimately, Kim Dong-hee partially admitted to causing school violence in January 2022. He issued an apology through his agency. Kim Dong-hee said, "After that incident, I went to the study room with my friend and not only took classes, but also had dinner with my friend's family, and we spent a lot of time together without any problems, so I think my friend and his mother forgave me."
He continued, "I didn't know that it was just my thoughts. I couldn't fathom that the hurt they were left with was still there. After the post was posted, I wanted to immediately apologize to my friend for this, but my apology was accepted as if everything I didn't do was also true. “I couldn’t muster up the courage for fear of getting caught and causing another misunderstanding, and I spent the past year wanting to correct things that weren’t true,” he added.
Kim Dong-hee debuted in the 2018 web drama ‘A-Teen’. He then emerged as a rising star through 'SKY Castle', 'Itaewon Class', and the Netflix series 'Human Lessons'. However, from the suspicion of school violence to the apology, he spent about a year reflecting on himself. Of course, the movies ‘Season of You and Me’ and ‘Ghost’ have finished filming.
The timing when Kim Dong-hee revealed her new profile attracts attention. This is because the movie ‘Ghost’ (directed by Lee Hae-young) is scheduled to be released on the 18th. When you search for 'Ghost', Kim Dong-hee's name is also included in the cast list. Currently, excluding Kim Dong-hee, Sol Kyeong-gu, Lee Ha-nui, Park So-dam, Park Hae-soo, and Seo Hyun-woo are accelerating the promotion of 'Ghost'.
Kim Dong-hee started a return to activity by releasing a new profile, but the response was cold. Attention is being paid to the choice of Kim Dong-hee, who is quietly looking to make a comeback with the release of 'Ghost'. Also, attention is focused on whether Kim Dong-hee will have an influence on the box office success of 'Ghost'.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr