Park Sung Hoon has departed from tvN’s upcoming drama The Tyrant’s Chef (literal title). According to industry sources, the decision was reached through mutual agreement between the production company and the actor’s agency on the 11th.
The Tyrant’s Chef follows a French chef who time-slips to the past, where he encounters a tyrannical king known as both history’s worst despot and finest gastronome, leading to a love story that transcends 500 years. The series garnered significant attention as the latest project from acclaimed director Jang Tae Yoo of My Love From the Star and Knight Flower, with the casting of King the Land lead YoonA and Squid Game season 2 star Park Sung Hoon generating considerable buzz.
However, Park recently faced backlash after accidentally uploading adult video content parodying Squid Game to his personal Instagram. Adding to the situation, the drama’s first table read was canceled, though the production team clarified to OSEN, “The script reading was canceled to participate in mourning the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane tragedy, and has no connection to Park Sung Hoon’s controversy.”
After the news of his exit hit the wire, some people have defended Park, with comments including “Is stepping down really necessary?”, “This whole reaction to his mistake seems excessive,” and “It was just a cover image, not the actual content—we don’t even know if he watched it.”
Following the controversy, Park made a tearful apology during a Squid Game 2 interview, stating “I’ve caused concern to many people, and I’m fully aware of my mistake. I’ve been reflecting and blaming myself up to now. I completely understand the gravity of the situation, and I’ll be much more careful to ensure nothing like this happens again.”
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