There have been plenty of Korean actors who made decisions that seemingly came out of nowhere and shocked a lot of people. Here’s a list of four times when Korean actors made shocking decisions.
1. Kim Seung Hyun deciding to retire early in his career
Kim Seung Hyun was quite successful in his early career as a teen actor, but he made a shocking decision when he decided to go on a hiatus that would last 15 years.
It turns out that during his time as a teen actor, his girlfriend got pregnant. Once he revealed this, he stopped getting offers from broadcasting stations.
Since the press conference, all broadcast work stopped. I was receiving a lot of attention as a high-teen star but I was no longer appropriate for programs that teenagers would be interested in since I was the father of a child.
ㅡ Kim Seung Hyun
During his hiatus, he decided to become a dedicated father and made his child his priority. He also has no regrets about letting go of his acting career.
I have no regrets. Because of that decision, my daughter was able to grow up well.
ㅡ Kim Seung Hyun
In 2017, Kim Seung Hyun made his return to the entertainment industry when he received an offer to appear on a reality show with his daughter, which they both agreed to do.
2. Ju Ji Hoon turning himself in
In 2009, Ju Ji Hoon was sentenced to 6 months in prison, 1-year probation, and 120 hours of volunteer service for the use of drugs. However, what surprised a lot of people is the fact that when Ju Ji Hoon got tested for drugs, his tests came back negative.
It turns out that Ju Ji Hoon had decided to confess to his crimes and turn himself in because he had used drugs in the past and was ashamed of himself. Lawyer Lee Jae Man even went a bit more in-depth about this.
Ju Ji Hoon tested negative for drugs, but he confessed to using them during the investigation.
He consumed drugs 1 to 2 times 1 year and 3 to 4 months ago. Since the tests can only detect drugs tracing back to around a year, the tests came back negative.”
— Lee Jae Man
3. Lee Tae Im vanishing from the Korean entertainment industry
In 2018, Lee Tae Im made a post on her Instagram account, stating that she was going to be leaving the entertainment industry. She even removed her profile from portal sites as a way of beginning her life as a non-celebrity.
This is Tae Im. It’s been a long time. I’ve been going through a difficult time with various thoughts and hardships. I’ve decided to live an ordinary life from hereon. I will not forget those who loved and supported me. Thank you.
— Lee Tae Im
4. EXO’s D.O. (Do Kyungsoo) enlisting in the military early
D.O. has made quite a name for himself as an idol and actor. In 2019, he decided to enlist into the military, which surprised a lot of people since he didn’t have to enlist until 2021.
Many have speculated that D.O. decided to enlist early because of his commitment to the production team for Along With The Gods. This successful movie series released its first installment in 2017, with the second getting released in 2018. The 3rd and 4th installments are scheduled to begin production in 2021.
D.O. has been involved in this series since the beginning, and many have speculated that he enlisted into the military early so that he could fully commit to the series. With D.O. enlisting in 2019, he will most likely get discharged in 2021, which would line up with the production of this movie series.
