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The Korea Times

By Kang Seung-woo
District offices in South Korea are facing a dilemma over whether to remove the names of scandal-hit celebrities from a range of facilities.
The names of stars once promised streams of tourists and income, but the scandal involving entertainers secretly recording sex videos and sharing them in chat rooms has put the regional offices’ celebrity marketing under scrutiny.
One example is Park Yoo-chun Cherry Blossom Road in Incheon’s Gyeyang-gu district.
The road was named after singer-songwriter and former member of the boy bands JYJ and TVXQ in 2013, but he now faces arrest over allegations that he took illegal drugs together with former fiancée Hwang Ha-na, the now-arrested granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products.

After the allegations emerged, calls came from the community for the 1.8km (1.1 mile) road to be renamed. In response to the complaints, the Gyeyang-gu District Office said it held talks with a volunteer group about the issue.
The volunteer group says it wants paintings of Park removed and the road renamed by August.
Also in Gangnam-gu, Seungri Forest is facing a backlash. The park named after the former member of BigBang – implicated in prostitution allegations and the sex video scandal – is located next to a junior school in the Yeoksam-dong area.

In December 2015, members of Seungri’s Chinese fan club spent five million won (US$4,375) to establish the park with help from Gangnam-gu Office, with more than 200 trees being planted.
Some commentators have said it is inappropriate to keep Seungri’s name on the park but the district office has yet to reach a conclusion.
K-pop star Park Yoo-chun faces methamphetamine arrest
Gangnam-gu also has another “forest” named after K-pop singer Roy Kim. Kim, 25, is also accused of uploading sexually explicit photographs to a chat room and he has been booked by police on suspicion of distributing obscene material.
The district office has removed a wooden plaque bearing Kim’s name from the forest and also cleared away a red postbox engraved with the words “To Roy Kim”.

Meanwhile, the name of Choi Jong-hoon, a former member of F.T. Island, has been removed from Seoul’s K-Star Road, which stretches from the Galleria Department Store to Apgujeong Rodeo Street in Gangnam-gu.
K-pop’s Seungri: from BigBang idol to face of a scandal
The 29-year-old Choi was booked recently for uploading obscene footage on group chats and attempting to bribe a police officer after being caught driving under the influence in February 2016.
Read the full story at the Korea Times


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K-pop stars such as Seungri and Park Yoo-chun have streets and parks in South Korea named after them
After their recent arrests on sex and drugs charges, there are calls for district offices to rename the venues



K-pop stars such as Seungri and Park Yoo-chun have streets and parks in South Korea named after them. After their recent arrests on sex and drugs charges, there are calls for district offices to rename the venues.


K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

Music

Fame and celebrity

K-pop scandals

Disgraced K-pop stars cause renaming dilemma for Korean venues

K-pop stars such as Seungri and Park Yoo-chun have streets and parks in South Korea named after them After their recent arrests on sex and drugs charges, there are calls for district offices to rename the venues

K-pop stars such as Seungri and Park Yoo-chun have streets and parks in South Korea named after them

After their recent arrests on sex and drugs charges, there are calls for district offices to rename the venues