K-drama star Kim Seon-ho’s career is back on track after abortion allegation nearly ruined it. What does that mean for other Korean actors and K-pop stars?

A woman’s allegation online that the K-drama actor coerced her into having an abortion when they were dating almost derailed his career before he was cleared

Kim Seon-ho rebounded quickly, but his case is an exception and Korean stars caught up in scandal in future can expect little support, an observer says

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Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-shik in a still from Korean drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. The role burnished his image as a gentle, heterosexual man in South Korea, which is riven by sexual politics. Photo: @tvndrama.official/ Instagram

Published: 1:12pm, 24 Nov 2021Updated: 10:35am, 25 Nov 2021

In October, popular South Korean actor Kim Seon-ho’s career nosedived after an allegation that he had coerced a woman into getting an abortion when they were dating was posted online. He was soon exonerated, and his career rebounded just as quickly.

Kim regained popularity and has been added to the cast of upcoming film Sad Tropical. He’s also become a spokesman for a variety of brands, having been dropped as an ambassador by other brands following the allegation, and losing work, including a role in the variety series 2 Days & 1 Night.

Following her initial, anonymous, online post, Kim’s former girlfriend clarified the situation and accepted his apology, and media investigations exonerated him.

While some may view what happened to Kim as an example of a South Korean celebrity cancelling of “cancel culture”, the roller-coaster ride the actor was subjected to is not a good barometer of what could happen to other celebrities accused of wrongdoing but who are then cleared.

“I don’t think the industry will react more cautiously in the future,” says Min Joo Lee, a professor in the Women’s & Gender Studies department at Wellesley College in the United States, where she teaches about Korean drama and related race and gender dynamics.