With only the first day of November, the media spotlight across Asia was fully captured by the trailer for Squid Game 2. The new cast and bold, yet equally brutal games and challenges have raised public expectations that season 2 will once again become a global sensation. Besides the appeal bolstered by the success of the previous season, a portion of the audience is vehemently criticizing this project due to the appearance of several stars with shocking scandals: some have criminal records but continue working freely, while others are still embroiled in legal issues.
Song Young Chang: Underage Prostitution
Actor Song Young Chang, who appeared for only a few seconds in the trailer, sparked a fierce backlash due to his appalling criminal history. In September 2000, he was charged with paying 150,000 won to a 16-year-old girl he met in an empty lot near a lake park in Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si, Kyunggi-do. Afterward, he engaged in relations with her twice in a Grandeur vehicle.
Song Young Chang was sentenced to 10 months in prison and 2 years of probation. From an actor at the peak of his career, he became a criminal scorned by the public. Song Young Chang was banned from appearing on major national television channels KBS, EBS, and MBC, and could only work on SBS or in theater productions. He was the first male actor in the Korean entertainment industry convicted of soliciting a minor. After his release, Song Young Chang moved to Canada with his family to study English. He appeared in a few musical theater productions before returning to Korea.
Choi Seung Hyun (T.O.P): Illegal Drug Use
June 1, 2017, is an unforgettable day for T.O.P’s fans and Big Bang followers as he was officially investigated by the Seoul court for illegal marijuana use. The singer was accused of using marijuana four times with his ex-girlfriend Han Seo Hee at his home in Seoul in October 2016. At that time, he persistently claimed that what he smoked was only an electronic cigarette, not marijuana.
Subsequently, the authorities tested T.O.P’s hair for drugs, yielding a positive result. At the second court hearing on July 19, 2017, Seoul’s district court sentenced him to 2 years of probation and 10 months in prison if he violated his probation within those two years. He was also fined 12,000 won. This sentence sparked public outrage for being too lenient and not serving as a sufficient deterrent.
Oh Dal Soo: Sexual Harassment
In 2018, as the #MeToo movement surged globally, the true face of “predator” Oh Dal Soo was exposed. On February 26 of the same year, JTBC’s Newsroom aired an interview with a woman (referred to as A) who accused Oh Dal Soo. A stated, “I was not only harassed but also raped.” Following this, a second victim, Uhm Ji Young, a theater actress and teacher at a preparatory academy, also came forward with similar accusations.
Despite repeatedly being mentioned in the media, Oh Dal Soo’s management insists these are baseless claims. Later, the police declared the actor was cleared of all charges. Nonetheless, his career nearly hit rock bottom as every director “crossed him off” their lists, and the public continued to believe the accusations and boycott any programs he appeared in.
Oh Young Soo: Sexual Harassment
Oh Young Soo, born in 1944, is lauded as a “living legend in the theater” in South Korea. In 2021, he gained widespread recognition when he took on the role of the “final boss” in the blockbuster Squid Game Season 1. The immense success of the global hit seemed to promise that the male star would enjoy his twilight years in the limelight. However, it turned out that he had to pay the price for the horrifying actions he committed. Specifically, Oh Young Soo was investigated for sexually harassing women under 50 years old starting from November 2022.
From a star at the pinnacle of his career, the “final boss” of Squid Game lost everything due to scandal.
According to the Suwon District Court, in the summer of 2017, Oh Young Soo went to the city of Daegu and went for a walk with a woman. There, he engaged in sexual abuse, hugging, and kissing her cheeks without the plaintiff’s consent. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 8 months in prison but received a suspended sentence with a 2-year probation period for sexual harassment. Additionally, Oh Young Soo was required to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program. This sentence cost him the opportunity to return in Squid Game Season 2 and effectively ended his career in the entertainment industry.
Lee Jin Wook: Sexual Assault
The year 2016 marked a crisis period in the career of actor Lee Jin Wook. At that time, he was violently forced and assaulted by a 30-year-old woman. Naturally, his management company denied the allegations, while the 8x male star admitted to having a relationship with the woman but insisted it was consensual. With a confident and head-held-high attitude when appearing before the media, the actor was declared innocent in 2018. Subsequently, the woman who sued Lee Jin Wook for sexual assault was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 2 years of suspended sentence for defamation, tarnishing his honor and reputation, and making false statements.
However, this shocking incident has become a “stain” that has haunted the actor to this day. Despite the court’s verdict and his proactive apologies, Lee Jin Wook struggles to regain public trust, with rumors suggesting that he used his influence to push the victim behind bars.
Lee Jung Jae: Fraud, Drunk Driving, Assault Allegations, and Sensitive Remarks About LGBT
The male lead of Squid Game has left many stunned with a series of “scandals” as long as a “rope.” Even after the first season of the series became famous, Lee Jung Jae continued to be embroiled in lawsuits, with courts yet to issue a final verdict.
In a popular online community forum in South Korea, a netizen posted a photo of a 1999 newspaper article “digging up” the actor’s unsavory past. The article reported that Lee Jung Jae, then 26 years old, was charged with drunk driving. His blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.222%.
In another article published in 2002, the report detailed Lee Jung Jae’s second incident of drunk driving. According to the police, he had consumed three bottles of beer at a bar in Apgujeong-dong with friends.
Additionally, the account holder mentioned that Lee Jung Jae was also involved in two cases of assaulting and attacking others.
In 2000, the Busan Haeundae Police accused Lee Jung Jae (25 years old) of dragging a 22-year-old woman out of her car in front of Nightclub B and kicking her with his foot, causing her injuries that required two weeks to recover. Previously, in November 1999, in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, Lee Jung Jae had been drinking with Mr. Park, 36, and three others at a bar. After becoming heavily intoxicated, Lee Jung Jae caused disturbances, quarreled, and was charged with assaulting Mr. Pyo and Mr. Park. In both altercations, Lee Jung Jae was quickly released without detention.
Furthermore, many international netizens have found articles quoting the actor making homophobic remarks during a 2013 interview with Vogue Korea. A segment from that interview mentioned Lee Jung Jae talking about his deceased friend (Y) and trying to convince him to abandon his homosexuality. “Some time ago, X went to heaven… (Before passing away) I told X, ‘Don’t be homosexual anymore. Isn’t that enough? But it’s really not easy at all.’”
In August 2024, having become one of the most powerful stars in Korea, Lee Jung Jae continued to be embroiled in lawsuits with fraud allegations. The Gangnam Seoul Police Department confirmed that they are investigating a complaint filed by Kim Dong Rae, CEO of the television production company RaemongRaein, accusing actor Lee Jung Jae and Park In Kyu, former CEO of WYSIWYG Studios, of fraud. According to the complaint, Lee and Park exploited their positions in the industry to “bait” Kim into transferring shares to them. However, after purchasing the shares, Lee and Park attempted to “push” Kim out of the management board.
In response to these allegations, Lee Jung Jae has countersued Kim for defamation. Currently, this lawsuit is still ongoing and remains a focal point of public attention.
Lee Byung Hun: Infidelity and Pursuing Young Women
Among the list of Squid Game actors embroiled in shocking scandals, Lee Byung Hun’s case does not involve legal issues but rather ethical ones. At the end of August 2014, while already “settled in family life” with the star Lee Min Jung, Lee Byung Hun was unexpectedly blackmailed by two rising female stars, Lee Ji Yeon and Dahee, demanding a staggering 5 million won.
Although he was the victim, the public’s main focus was on the cause of the incident. It turned out that Lee Byung Hun was the one who actively pursued and had extramarital affairs with the two young women. What made it even more bitter was that, at that time, Lee Min Jung was pregnant with their first child. The actress was so angry that she returned to her mother’s house.
In the court session on January 15, 2015, Lee Ji Yeon and Dahee were sentenced to 14 and 12 months in prison, respectively. Lee Byung Hun also proactively sought a reduction in their sentences to allow them to be released early. On the other hand, Lee Min Jung chose to forgive her husband to preserve their happiness.
