Korean actor Na In-woo made his first appearance in the Korean drama “River Where the Moon Rises” as replacement for actor Ji Soo, who was removed after he admitted committing school violence.
In episode 7 of “River Where the Moon Rises” on March 8, new scenes featuring Na In-woo in the role of On Dal were inserted.
According to Nielsen Korea, episode 7 of “River Where the Moon Rises” got nationwide ratings of 8.7 percent for part 2 (6th place) and 6.7 percent for part 1 (12th place) and ranked first on its time slot. It also maintained its No. 1 position for the seventh consecutive time among Monday-Tuesday dramas.
Na In-woo, who starred in the hit drama “Mr. Queen,” was offered the role after Ji Soo admitted and apologized on March 4 regarding accusations of bullying and violence.
“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,” Ji Soo said in an Instagram post on March 4.
The scandal threatened to cancel the airing of “River Where the Moon Rises,” which stars actress Kim So-hyun.
Korean TV channel KBS and drama production company Victory Contents earlier said Ji Soo would be replaced starting in episode 9 but apparently, they decided to totally erase any traces of Ji Soo starting in episode 7 and introduce Na In-woo as On Dal.
KBS said it recognized the seriousness of the incident involving Ji Soo and reviewed plans including cancelling the drama. But it decided otherwise owing to the viewers who have loved the drama and to the numerous staff, actors and the production company.
On the drama section on the KBS website, the photo of Na In-woo as On Dal replaced Ji Soo’s photo.
Victory Contents said 95 percent of the total filming of the drama was already completed. Although reshooting the drama would bring huge economic losses, it was decided in consultation with KBS.
In addition, more than 7,000 Koreans signed a petition demanding KBS to remove Ji Soo from the drama because of the controversy.
Other stars in the drama have agreed to reshoot the scenes with no additional fees including Yoon Joo-man and Lee Ji-hoon.