Sunny Day

If you research his career, you'll notice that the negative articles often coincided with the release of some of his films.
The first rumors about Park Hae-jin evading military service surfaced in 2010, shortly after his debut. These rumors continued to resurface over time. However, after a police investigation, it was officially concluded that he was exempt from military service due to legitimate health reasons.
Further controversy arose in 2016–2017, around the time the dramas Cheese in the Trap and Man to Man were released. He was accused of having worked as a host in a host bar. Eventually, it was confirmed that these allegations were false. Despite this, the rumors negatively impacted his career at the time.
On September 10, 2022, Park Hae-jin was rumored to have been arrested for drug use. This coincided with the airing of the drama From Now On, Showtime!. However, the police quickly issued an official statement clarifying that he was not involved and revealed the identity of the actual actor implicated in the case. Still, the mere association with such a rumor was damaging to his image.
In 2023, with the release of the crime thriller The Killing Vote, Park Hae-jin’s popularity rose significantly. However, this renewed attention also brought his past controversies back into the spotlight.
In conclusion, Park Hae-jin’s career has been repeatedly shadowed by baseless rumors that conveniently surface around the release of his major projects. While none of the accusations against him have held up under scrutiny, they have nonetheless affected public perception and his professional trajectory. This pattern highlights a troubling aspect of the media landscape, where sensationalism and rumor-chasing often overshadow fact-based journalism.

Thank you for the recommendations. I agree that in this field, more than in most, success depends not only on hard work but also on audience reception. No film or drama producer would cast an actor without believing in their ability to connect with the audience.
I also agree with your point about Park Hae Jin’s role in My Love from the Star. He, too, faced harsh criticism, particularly accusations of evading military service. Despite proving he had repeatedly attempted to enlist but was unable to do so, the negative comments persisted. When The Killing Vote was released, new rumors about him surfaced.
In response, he posted:
“I confront my reflection, a canvas of my journey. Each flaw tells a story, each scar a lesson, reminding me that the beauty of growth lies in embracing my true self.”
This kind of journalism is deeply harmful. Media often wait for moments of heightened public interest, such as a film release, to publish "revelations" that lead to public backlash.
Every profession deserves respect. For actors, it’s incredibly difficult to transform from one role to another and, more importantly, to stand out. It requires immense effort. As Lee Dong Wook once said, "it's hard to have a personal life," and when faced with negative comments, it’s even harder to find the strength to prepare for the next role.
We see them shining under the spotlight, but behind that is relentless hard work.
Ad augusta per angusta.

Another form of bullying: media lynching!
Seeing the number of negative articles about Kim Soo Hyun, although they essentially repeat the same so-called news, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a case of media lynching.
Reaching the conclusion that this is a case of media lynching, I set out to learn more about the subject. Here are the findings of my research.
Media lynching is a non-journalistic media operation (particularly aggressive, widespread, and sometimes prolonged), carried out by one or more media outlets, either in coordination or acting independently, with a premeditated intent to target an individual, typically a public figure, in order to discredit and destroy their credibility and reputation. The goal and motivation of media lynching are to eliminate someone from the public stage (or simply from a specific position, structure, etc.) who hinders or threatens the satisfaction of a certain interest, whether private or group-based; or who, for various reasons or interests, or even accidentally, has become a public enemy.
At the level of a society or community (national or local), media lynching is the most aggressive expression of the force and pride of the media: the so-called "Fourth Estate." While often seen as the fourth power in a democracy, in reality, the media holds an unofficial position within the democratic system. Precisely because of its unofficial status and its constitutionally subordinate relationship to the three official powers of democracy: the legislative, executive, and judicial, the media sometimes feels the need to express not only its frustration over its lack of legal authority but also its immense influence, seeking to intimidate, deter, or gain the respect of the other three powers.
Naturally, one might ask: what or who enables the media to wield such destructive power and, by extension, to carry out media lynchings?
On the one hand, public opinion, in whose name the “Fourth Estate” claims to act and to which it appeals in order to legitimize its “media justice.”
On the other hand, the public image of an institution or individual. “Today, image is everything,” says Matt Haig in a work dedicated to branding and public image.
It’s simply about the public's perception. It’s easy to understand who can strengthen or alter public perception of a politician, judge, or actor, or, to put it another way, who has the power to muddy otherwise clear waters.
It’s not hard to see why media lynching is so terrifying, especially considering that its repercussions in South Korea have often been among the most tragic.
Over 100 years ago, Gustave Le Bon, in The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, recognized that “all that strongly impresses the imagination of crowds presents itself under the shape of a startling and clear image.” At the same time, he noted that “it is not facts in themselves that strike the popular imagination, but the way they are presented. These facts must evoke, through a kind of condensation, a vivid image that seizes and obsesses the mind. To know how to impress the imagination of crowds is to know how to govern them.”
This is both the tactic and working method of media lynching.
On a personal level, media lynching, as a violent form of public communication and manipulation, is generated by what we could call “the Dark Force of the Fourth Estate” in a democratic state. The ritual of media lynching involves the public execution of an enemy figure, who has first been declared persona non grata and “convicted” by public sentiment, sentiment often artificially created and manipulated in the laboratories of media institutions turned public prosecutors, or naturally erupting from public conscience outraged by a condemnable act.
In other words, media lynching is the extreme manifestation of the media’s arbitrariness and lack of scruples. Through its non-journalistic rationale and methods, media lynching has nothing to do with the principles of public interest or with the ethical standards that govern journalistic work. It is simply a process through which, typically in the name of freedom of expression and opinion and usually in service of a hidden major interest, a public figure is discredited in the eyes of the public by journalists, presenters, or hosts of one or more media outlets. In a specific setting and based on a pre-designed scenario, these media actors expose (denounce), incriminate, condemn, and symbolically execute that individual, treating them as a public defendant.
Media lynching makes use of certain journalistic genres, especially news reports, investigations, exposés, talk shows, editorials, and particularly opinion pieces, with the crucial difference that their production and dissemination ignore ethical standards and public interest principles.
In reality, media lynching operates on and relies heavily upon one single non-journalistic weapon: personal attack. This method employs public manipulation through distorted presentation of facts and is characterized by insults, slander, and defamatory labeling, attached to the public image of the target.
The outcome of a media lynching campaign is dominated by content fabricated in the “truth laboratories,” by subjectivity, and especially by opinion pieces. The “procedure” of media lynching allows only the loud and aggressive voices of the so-called media justiciars to be heard in the “court of public opinion.”
Media lynching is an orchestrated act, carried out by a small group of journalists who often embrace and even enjoy the role and status of media executioners. These public figures, often experienced journalists, quickly shift into this role and act in high-audience time slots and spaces, devoid of moral scruples or ethical constraints, all in the service of hidden private interests, and sometimes their own.
It’s worth mentioning that the duration and intensity of a media lynching depend on several factors: the reach and public influence of the media outlet assuming the role of justiciar; the personal resilience of the targeted individual; the political, corporate, or media support they have during the attack; and, not least, how the situation evolves, including shifts in public sentiment.
On a broader scale, a cursory review of media lynching cases both locally and worldwide reveals that they are overwhelmingly triggered by economic or political interests.
There is no doubt that Kim Soo Hyun is the victim of a media lynching.
What remains to be asked is: is this a commissioned lynching, or an accidental one, meant to divert attention from other realities?

I'm posting it above because it's quite long.

Absolutely! When there’s too much noise, the smartest move is to just "close the windows". Suddenly, everything makes sense again and you can finally read normal messages!

I’ll try to make a list, but I need to remember which movies or dramas I’ve seen and possibly look for others with similar themes.

I find it amazing how many people are rallying around him.
“Kim Soo-hyun’s courageous gesture — appearing before the press and, as he said, refusing to apologize for something he never did — sent a rare and powerful message. A message that has resonated around the world and that we want to transform into a universal call for respect, truth and life.”
“To symbolize this global call for change, on July 8 in Milan, on Corso Matteotti, a large billboard will rise — not only as a tribute to an actor, but as a tangible symbol of a global stand: an ode to life and silence. Because in this act of silence, millions of voices unite to proclaim that respect and truth have no borders.”
https://www.iltempo.it/general/2025/06/18/news/ode-al-silenzio-messaggio-globale-giornalismo-predatorio-cyberbullismo-43039876/

Ode to Silence, a global message against predatory journalism and cyberbullying.

I’m planning to do a brief analysis of this type of so-called journalism

I don’t know how accurate this information is, but it seems he has returned to GM headquarters. It’s possible the police might start investigating the complaints filed against Gaseyon, KSR’s family, and others.

Even though I’ve written quite a bit, be patient and read it through. I enjoy doing a bit of research on real-life cases that could also serve as compelling movie topics.
There have been many wrongful convictions, some so tragic that the individuals died in prison (or executed) and were only declared innocent after their deaths. You can find many of these cases on Wikipedia, but there are also lesser-known ones discussed by organizations that actively fight to overturn such injustices.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wrongful_convictions_in_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_miscarriage_of_justice_cases
1. Teng Xingshan, a butcher, was convicted (the court was told "Teng confessed his crime on his initiative and his confession conforms with scientific inspection and identification") and executed in 1989 for the murder of Shi Xiaorong, a waitress who had disappeared. Shi reappeared in Shandong in 1993 and said she had never met Teng. Teng was posthumously acquitted in 2006.
2. Nie Shubin was convicted after the police had obtained a confession from him with a week of "skillful interrogation, including psychological warfare" and executed in 1995 for the rape and murder of Kang Juhua, a woman in her thirties. In 2005, Wang Shujin admitted to the police that he had committed the murder and described murder scene details only known to the police.
3. Colin Campbell Ross. Twelve-year-old Nell Alma Tirtschke left home on an errand for her grandmother. Early the next morning, her body was found in Gun Alley. She had been raped and strangled. Colin Campbell Ross was convicted on the basis of several witnesses who testified that Ross confessed to them as well several strands of blonde hair on a blanket at Ross's house. In 1993, a former school teacher named Kevin Morgan began researching Ross's case. Morgan found a file in the Office of Public Prosecutions containing the original hair samples, which had been thought lost. In 1998, two independent scientific authorities—the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and the forensics division of the Australian Federal Police—found that the two lots of hair did not come from the same person, thereby disproving with certainty the most damning piece of evidence presented at Ross's trial. Ross was pardoned on May 27, 2008, 86 years after his execution.
4. Glynn Simmons: Exonerated after 48 years in prison.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/28/sentenced-to-die-innocent-man-spent-48-years-in-prison-for-murder-glynn-simmons#:~:text=In%20July%202023%2C%20he%20was,been%20jailed%20before%20being%20cleared.
5. Sandra Hemme: Her murder conviction was overturned after 43 years..
https://innocenceproject.org/news/missouri-circuit-court-overturns-sandra-hemmes-murder-conviction-after-43-years/#:~:text=Missouri%20Circuit%20Court%20Overturns%20Sandra,U.S.%2C%20proved%20her%20actual%20innocence.
6. Johnathan Barr was one of the Dixmoor 5 who was wrongfully convicted of a 1991 rape and murder. He was 14 years old at the time and ultimately spent over 18 years in prison before being exonerated.7.
https://innocenceproject.org/news/remembering-jonathan-barr-of-the-dixmoor-five/
7. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, was a professional boxer, wrongly convicted of murder and spent 19 years in prison. His case was widely publicized, and his fight for freedom became the subject of a movie.
The Hurricane (1999 film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubin_Carter#:~:text=Rubin%20%22Hurricane%22%20Carter%20(May,almost%2020%20years%20in%20prison.
Other movies based on true similar cases
"The Central Park Five" (a series about the wrongful conviction of five teenagers), "In the Name of the Father" (about a man wrongly convicted in an IRA bombing), and "Just Mercy" (based on the true story of a lawyer fighting for those wrongly accused).
Such accusations highlight the importance of the presumption of innocence and the careful analysis of evidence. The presumption of innocence is now a fundamental human right, recognized in documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
However, while the justice system today places greater emphasis on these principles, the media continues to make accusations without respecting them and often disregards the need for evidence, without facing any accountability.

You’ve convinced me. I’ll look into it. And yes, thank goodness a lawyer like the one who advised Kim Sae Ron’s family isn’t involved. Can you imagine how that would’ve ended? Now that would’ve been a plot twist.

Two other dramas I recommend:
Mask
https://kisskh.at/13388-mask
Let me introduce her
https://kisskh.at/29241-about-her
The last one, despite the rating, I thought it was great. You can't predict what's coming next.

Honestly, I think KSR has always been a victim. I don’t know how many people truly understand the long hours spent on set, the endless repetition of the same scenes, and the emotional effort required to step into a character’s shoes, only to find it difficult to step out again.
Lee Dong Wook went through a period of depression and self-doubt. He felt frustrated and as though he was failing, questioning his own acting abilities and even considering stepping away from the profession altogether. This led him to stay at home for months, struggling with negative thoughts and feeling deeply stressed about his performances.
https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1006579649#:~:text=I%20felt%20like%20someone%20had,and%20stressed%20out%20about%20that.%22&text=Then%2C%20Lee%20Dong%20Wook%20shared,felt%20much%20more%20at%20ease.%22
Hateful comments only add to the anxiety, and for some actors, it becomes overwhelming, causing them to give up.
“I was unhappy with my acting in the series… The drama was getting hate online, and all of that negativity seemed to be aimed at me. I began to think I was to blame and felt bad about it.” – Lee Dong Wook
https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/actor-lee-dong-wook-almost-retired-hate-k-drama-life-gong-yoo/
Looking back, we see KSR acting in films from a very young age. If adult actors can experience depression, what about a child? I believe special care is essential. That’s one of the reasons why there are now restrictions on how long children can stay on set. Still, if a scene doesn’t turn out perfectly, the solution may not be to work long hours in a single day, but rather to extend the number of days spent filming.
This is why I respect every actor, including Kim Soo Hyun.

Thank you. This topic seems interesting. I'll check it out and select from the real cases of this kind, a few that seem more interesting to me. I'll also check if there have been films made about such cases.

Is it something similar to The Innocent Man
https://kisskh.at/4295-the-innocent-man
or Secret?
https://kisskh.at/7761-secret

Are you saying it's about a person who was wrongly convicted?

This is an article from 2020, but it makes it very clear that there is a trend of suicide among celebrities. But, as it says:
“I can’t explain why so many South Korean entertainers have taken their own lives. We can’t pretend to know each motivation, whether it be money problems, relationships, family issues, declining popularity, online abuse, or any number of other factors. Attempting to explain each death would just encourage the trolls.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/04/i-have-reported-on-30-korean-celebrity-suicides-the-blame-game-never-changes

By the way, do you have any his movie or drama recommendations? Something with action or suspense?

The media campaign to discredit and smear Kim Soo Hyun is astonishing. The same topic has been recycled in headlines for over a week now. When I read titles like "Kim Soo Hyun Lost His Apartment," "Unable to Pay," or "Faces 7.3 Billion Won Lawsuit," I feel compelled to repeat: these bombastic headlines have little to no connection with legal reality.
Being sued because one party in a contract claims damages does not automatically imply those damages are justified or will be granted. In this case, the contractual termination was unilateral, not because Kim Soo Hyun failed to fulfill his obligations or performed them defectively, but because of a series of public accusations which, to this day, remain unproven.
Although I’ve said it before, it bears repeating: if the damages claim is accepted before the resolution of the criminal complaint filed by Kim Soo Hyun against Garosero, KSR's family, and others, Kim Soo Hyun has full legal grounds to turn against Garosero et co. and recover any damages or amounts he may have been compelled to pay due to this situation, assuming, of course, that the criminal proceedings rule in his favor.
Spoiler alert: Kim Soo Hyun’s legal team has formally requested a digital forensic investigation by the National Forensic Service into all the evidence submitted against him. The results of these expert reports could justify the suspension of all lawsuits filed against him until the complaint against Garosero, KSR’s family, the so-called aunt, and various other characters is fully resolved.
Ironically, a precautionary seizure of Kim Soo Hyun’s assets may work in his favor. Not only can it justify the suspension of the civil compensation proceedings, but it also serves as evidence of the damage he has suffered, strengthening his own case for claiming compensation from Garosero & Co.
Let’s now clarify two legal concepts that have been misrepresented in the media: precautionary seizure and enforceable title.
a) The establishment of a precautionary measure or the mere filing of a damages lawsuit does not mean someone has “lost” their property, such as, in this case, an apartment. It doesn’t even mean the alleged creditor has prevailed in court. To prevail, they must first win the compensation/damages case.
So, what is a precautionary measure, and why is it used?
A precautionary seizure is a legal step taken to freeze movable or immovable assets in the debtor’s (or even a third party’s) possession. It aims to ensure that, should the creditor later obtain an enforceable title, the assets are available to satisfy the debt.
At the moment the seizure is applied, no enforceable title exists, only a presumed claim.
b) An enforceable title is a legally issued document (typically a court decision) based on which the creditor can initiate forced execution to compel the debtor to fulfill his obligation.
In Kim Soo Hyun’s case, any compensation that might hypothetically arise from the contract would still require an enforceable title—a court decision establishing whether compensation is owed, and if so, how much (unless clearly specified in the contract itself).
In summary: Based on the forensic results, Kim Soo Hyun has the legal option to suspend the ongoing damages lawsuits—or to allow them to proceed, knowing that any attempted forced execution can later be suspended. The latter may even be preferable: if the courts eventually rule in favor of Kim Soo Hyun in the criminal complaint filed against Garosero et comp., and he has, in the meantime, been forced to pay damages, but the forced execution was suspended, his creditors will have the right to recover those amounts from Garosero, KSR’s family, the so-called aunt, and the rest of the ensemble.
Enjoy the party. Just don’t forget who sent the invitations. I’m sure the bill ends up at the right table.

I wrote a little below about my impression of the protection provided to Garosero and the level of corruption in certain police stations and posted links to corruption cases, so I won't repeat myself.
I would like to answer the last question, though.
I usually weigh pros and cons from various sources to form a general opinion. News from domestic sources is my starting point. After that, I seek out sources from outside the country that can be independently verified, preferably those that do not simply reproduce domestic narratives, but present facts based on their own sources.
I cannot point to a single source as definitive. Official statements matter, but they must not be taken ad litteram.
The media often engages in opinion manipulation, which is why it is essential not to limit oneself to articles that align with one’s own preconceived ideas or objectives.
Never overlook the fact that one of the core subjects studied in journalism faculties is precisely the techniques of manipulating public opinion. If you wish not to be manipulated, you must analyze, as I have described.
One more point: in the mass media, facts are frequently exaggerated or presented only in part, so as to arouse the curiosity of the public. The type of message conveyed is tailored to the target audience, usually after surveys have been conducted to assess preferences. Sadly, the whole truth is rarely, if ever, found in the media.
It can only be extracted after a thorough analysis of all sources and, even then, some elements will remain obscured, known only to the individuals or institutions involved. Involuntarily, I find myself comparing the media to parliament: the more diverse and conflicting the voices, the faster the veritas begins to surface.
Take, for example, the case of Kim Soo Hyun. The media echoed the story launched by Garosero, perpetuating it because they saw it resonated with the public. By analyzing KSH's popularity metrics, it became clear to all that this was not a topic to be dismissed. The more inflammatory the content, the more eagerly it was consumed.
Even if such practices are ethically questionable, who really cares, as long as there are no concrete legal consequences in South Korea for those who collect and disseminate this type of so-called "news"?
There’s a telling sequence in the film My Love from the Star, in which an actress is falsely accused of having caused another actress’s suicide. At one point, someone remarks: Who cares whether she’s guilty or not? The audience needs a scapegoat.

Yes, don't bother reading such messages or replying to them.
Because here she comes again, self-declared goddess of the page, descending from her imaginary throne to enlighten the mere mortals she so openly despises. She screams (virtually, of course) about misogyny while gleefully trying to humiliate other women, contradicting herself with every sentence she types.
She doesn’t stand for any cause. Not for KSR’s cause, not for women's rights, not even for a single coherent opinion about…anything. No, her purpose is far more grandiose, a personal stage for her delusions of superiority. She mocks others for “falling into her trap,” and congratulates herself as if trolling strangers online is some form of divine achievement.
It’s not strength she shows, it’s the echo of someone who’s deeply lonely, wildly insecure, and desperate to matter. Her words aren’t sharp; they’re hollow. Her so called "victories" exist only in her head, where sarcasm replaces substance, and bullying is mistaken for brilliance.
There’s no debate to be had, no insight to gain. She feeds off attention (any attention!) mistaking disgust for relevance. Let her spiral in her fantasy of control while we continue the conversation in reality, with clarity, respect, and purpose.
From now on, she’s not part of the dialogue. She’s background noise, fading, irrelevant, and ultimately powerless.
Let her preach in her imaginary kingdom, speak for herself, or with other trolls, thinking she's a winner. By the way, what's the prize?
Let that echo in its empty empire.