Na In-woo to replace Ji Soo in River Where The Moon Rises
Korean actor Ji Soo has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, as people who have crossed paths with him in the past came out to accuse him of bullying and sexual assault.
In light of the accusations and his apology, which he posted to his Instagram account, KBS has confirmed that they will be removing Ji Soo from the ongoing historical romance Korean drama River Where The Moon Rises, where he stars as the male lead.
Meanwhile, Na In-woo, who starred in the recent hit Mr. Queen, a romance-comedy period drama, has accepted the offer from the network to replace Ji Soo.
Na In-woo, the actor set to replace Ji Soo
Image credit: @10042n00
Na In-Woo’s agency, CUBE Entertainment, confirmed that the actor received an offer to replace Ji Soo in River Where The Moon Rises. This comes after KBS announced on the morning of 5th March that Ji Soo, who plays the male lead in the drama, will be recast amid accusations of bullying and sexual assault.
According to Naver, KBS has confirmed that Na In-woo will be replacing Ji Soo from episode 9 onwards.
Na In-woo, who is tapped to replace Ji Soo, notably starred in Mr. Queen, a romance-comedy period drama, playing the role of the queen’s cousin. He also made appearances in other dramas, such as Mystic Pop-up Bar and Cinderella and the Four Knights.
Allegations against Ji Soo
Image credit: @actor_jisoo
The recasting decision by KBS was made after a string of accusations against Ji Soo was sparked by a netizen who claimed to be a former classmate of his.
On 2nd March, a netizen posted on Nate Pann, an online forum, revealing that Ji Soo had been one of the biggest bullies at school. The person further stated that Ji Soo was crude – he would curse at others and even shot a BB gun at his schoolmates.
Another netizen who also claimed to be their classmate replied to the post, saying that Ji Soo had made inappropriate sexual remarks about a girl. As this classmate was childhood friends with the girl, they warned her to be careful of Ji Soo. However, the classmate was threatened and hit by Ji Soo shortly after.
Subsequently, a 3rd netizen who also claimed to be a former classmate came forward and accused Ji Soo of sexual assault. According to Insight, this person alleged that Ji Soo sexually assaulted a middle-schooler in a toilet.
Following the accusations, Allkpop reported that a netizen who claims to be a production crew working on River Where The Moon Rises said that Ji Soo is rude to his colleagues and manager, and treats people poorly. He also alleges that Ji Soo “smokes, spits, and throws away the cigarettes anywhere he wants”.
Update: Ji Soo has taken legal action against those who have spread false accusations and rumours. He has engaged the services of the law firm Shin & Kim.
In a statement released on 27th May, the law firm asserted that Ji Soo “has filed a criminal complaint for defamation in order to correct the false information” as “several claims made […] were different from the truth or completely false”.
Ji Soo’s apology
Ji Soo posted a handwritten apology to his Instagram account
Image credit: @actor_jisoo
After these allegations came to light, Ji Soo posted a public apology on his Instagram account, expressing regret for his past actions and for hindering the filming of River Where The Moon Rises.
Na In-woo confirmed to replace Ji Soo’s role in Korean drama
It’s shocking to hear these bullying and sexual assault allegations against Ji Soo, who has amassed a legion of fans since his breakout role in Angry Mom, an award-winning drama where he ironically portrays a school bully.
Ji Soo’s agency Keyeast has since also released a statement saying that they will investigate the accusations. They also urged people who were victimised by the actor to write to an email to [email protected], an account that they set up specially for this investigation.
While the investigations are ongoing, the show literally has to go on – look out for episode 9 of River Where The Moon Rises as that’s when Na In-woo will take on the role of On Dal.
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Article updated on 28th May 2021.
Cover image adapted from: @actor_jisoo and @10042n00