Hit Korean drama “Mr. Queen” actor Na In-woo has been offered to replace embattled actor Ji Soo in the currently airing drama “River Where the Moon Rises” after the latter admitted to committing school violence.
Na In-woo’s popularity rose after appearing in “Mr. Queen” in which he played the role of Kim Byeong-in, who is in love with Queen Cheorin (played by actress Shin Hye-sun).
Cube Entertainment, Na In-woo’s agency, told Korean media that the actor has been offered to replace Ji Soo and is reviewing it.
Ji Soo’s exit from “River Where the Moon Rises” is inevitable after he admitted on March 4 that he committed school violence but did not elaborate on which of the accusations were true.
His classmates and schoolmates accused him of various school violence including bullying, beating them up and sexual misconduct in school.
“I sincerely apologize to those who suffered because of me. There is no excuse for my past misconduct. These were actions that could not be forgiven,” he said in a post on Instagram on March 4.
On the KBS viewers’ rights center, Koreans petitioned to remove him from “River Where the Moon Rises,” which has so far aired six episodes. As of writing, 7,057 people have signed the petition.
Korean media reported that 90 percent of “River Where the Moon Rises” has already been filmed with Ji Soo completing 18 of the 20 episodes.
Editing the drama or reshooting the scenes with a new actor to play On Dal (Ji Soo’s role) will result in huge losses for TV channel KBS and production company Victory Contents.
Because of his admission that he committed school violence, Ji Soo is being erased from the Korean entertainment industry.
TV channels and OTT (over-the-top) streaming platforms in Korea have deleted replays and video clips of Ji Soo’s dramas.
Tving, an OTT platform by CJ E&M and JTBC, deleted videos of OCN’s “Bad Guys 2” that stars Ji Soo.
OTT Wavve by SK Telecom, KBS, MBC and SBS deleted “River Where the Moon Rises” and MBC’s “Angry Mom.” Naver, YouTube and others have also deleted videos related to “River Where the Moon Rises.”
In his apology and admission, Ji Soo said, “As I started acting, I have come this far with undeserved attention from the public while covering up my past. There was always a feeling of guilt about my past in the corner of my heart and the regret that it was too late to turn back always weighed me down with a great anxiety. I always felt crushed because of my dark past.”
Ji Soo added he will “atone, and for those who have suffered for a long time because they had to see me as an actor, I will reflect on and regret my past, which I will not be able to wash away, for the rest of my life.”
“I feel tormented for inflicting tremendous damage to the network, production crew, actors and staff members who have been working on the drama due to my personal mistakes. I sincerely hope that the drama will not suffer any further damage because of me. I sincerely apologize on my knees to all those who have been hurt by me,” said Ji Soo.