SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- This week, the Korean entertainment industry has been marred by indiscriminate allegations and revelations about Korean actresses' personal lives.

On Naver, a major portal site in Korea, articles surrounding actress Choi Ji-woo and Han Ye-seul's disclosure of their private lives ranked at the top of the "most viewed" daily news list throughout the week.

The controversy began on May 21st when the YouTube channel "Hover Lab," which is more famously known as "Garosero Research Institute," posted a video claiming that Han Ye-seul's boyfriend earned a living by entertaining females in night clubs.

Earlier this month, actress Han Ye-seul, Han Ga-in, Cha Ye-ryeon, Ko So-young and Choi Ji-woo released a photo of them altogether, claiming that they were "Karaoke friends."

 

▲ This picture captured from YouTube shows a list of videos related to actress Han Ye-seul that were uploaded by "Hover Lab." (Yonhap)

 

Kim Yong-ho, a former entertainment reporter who led the revelation related to Han Ye-seul on "Hover Lab," even mentioned actress Cho Yeo-jeong, who is best known globally for her role in  the award winning movie "Parasite," on his own YouTube channel "Kim Yong-ho, Entertainment Director."

In the video, Kim exposed that a founder of an entertainment company took an actress with him to gamble on a trip to Macau in 2013. He later pointed out that Cho Yeo-jeong was the suspected actress.

"The person who protects Han Ye-seul and Cho Yo-jeong is Chairman Ji, and if it weren't for Han Ye-seul, I wouldn't have disclosed the news about Cho Yeo-jeong," Kim said.

As the controversy flared up, Han Ye-seul posted a video titled "I'll Tell You Everything" on her YouTube channel on June 9 to refute the claims made by Kim.

 

▲ This photo captured from YouTube shows part of a video where Han Ye-seul is explaining what has happened in her personal life. (Yonhap)

 

Han Ye-seul corrected false statements made in "Hover Lab" about the breakup with her ex-boyfriend, and strongly dismissed the suspicion that she was involved in using drugs at the infamous Burning Sun nightclub.

 

The actress expressed her opinion on this situation saying, "What's the difference between school violence or acts of attempted murder and someone who stirs up hate comments to ruin other people's lives and career with false information?"

At the end of the Instagram livestream, the actress warned that legal action is prepared to take place against "Hover Lab."

"Hover Lab" has continued to release a series of videos about revelations on different celebrities this week.

On June 9th, the members of "Hover Lab" turned their attention to top actress Choi Ji-woo in a new video.

 

▲ This photo provided by YG Entertainment shows actress Choi Ji-woo's wedding picture. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

"Hover Lab" released a photo of Choi Ji-woo's non-celebrity husband, who married the actress in 2018 and even raised rumors of an affair.

"Hover Lab" claimed, "Choi Ji-woo bought her husband a car earlier on, and we received a photo of the same car entering a motel with a woman getting off it later on."

So far, the other actresses, except Han Ye-seul, have not responded to the claims made on "Hover Lab."

This is not the first time that assertions made on "Hover Lab" made headlines and covered news portal sites. In recent years, even famous singers, comedians, and politicians have been targeted by members of the "Hover Lab" channel.

 

The YouTube channel "Hover Lab" was created by former MBC reporter Kim Se-eui in 2018 and lawyer Kang Yong-suk, who mainly produces content on various social and political issues, advocates a right party think tank.

In addition, the Korean entertainment industry is expected to suffer for some time due to the continued disclosure of famous celebrities.

 

 

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