Actor’s Instagram Jokes Gone “Too Far,” Management To Apologize

Actor Ha Jung Woo has been known for his unconventional Instagram activities, including shutting down haters and leaving unhinged replies to his fans’ comments…

…but it was his “nicknaming” antics that ended up getting him in hot water.

In his recent response to a fan named Choi Yeon Ji asking to be nicknamed, the actor commented, “Choi-Eum-Je,” meaning aphrodisiacs.

Fan 1: Can you make me a new nickname? My name is Choi Yeon Ji.

Ha Jung Woo: Choi Eum Je.

Fan 2: Huh…?

Fan 1: Haha! I love you.

Fan 3: …HUH?!

Fan 4: Choi-eum-je is the word for aphrodisiacs, all substances that increases sexual desire or arousal. That’s what he came up with and they’re still like, ‘I love you.’ No intelligence whatsoever…

A screenshot of the interaction then went viral online, with netizens unsure about his choice of words. As the backlash kept growing, Ha Jung Woo’s management has since released an official statement and claimed that the actor has reached out to the fan and apologized to them.

Hello, this is WALKHOUSECOMPANY. First, we would like to sincerely apologize to the individual who may have been upset by our artist’s social media activity.

The actor has also personally reached out to the fan to apologize and had a conversation with them. We promise to be more cautious and considerate in our words and actions when communicating with fans in the future. Thank you.

— WALKHOUSECOMPANY

Still, his past Instagram interactions continue to resurface…

Popular Actor’s Replies To Fan Comments Triggers Divided Reactions

…and, despite the apologies, netizens remain shocked and disappointed.

• “Why is the agency apologizing?”
• “Damn, seriously…?”
• “Aging gracefully is really that hard, huh.”
• “How old is this man? He’s too old to be hiding behind his agency.”
• “He should be the one apologizing.”
• “Ugh…”
• “Pathetic.”
• “Have some shame. Not that he’d get it. Ugh.”