Park Sung Hoon steps down from 'The Tyrant Chef' following 'Squid Game' parody post
Squid Game 2 star Park Sung Hoon has announced that he will be stepping down from his role in the upcoming drama The Tyrant's Chef, which he was set to star in alongside Girls' Generation's Yoona.
Production company Studio Dragon issued a statement on the actor's departure from the project.
"After much discussion between the production team and Park Sung Hoon's representatives, the decision was made that it will be difficult for him to join this project," Studio Dragon said.
The company continued, "The actor and his agency expressed their apologies several times regarding the recent events, and we discussed various conditions in-depth. As a result of our discussions, the production team and Park Sung Hoon decided to continue on separate paths."
Further details, such as new casting plans, have not been determined yet.
The move was made after the Queen of Tears star drew flak online for posting an Instagram story containing a cover image of an alleged Japanese porn video that looked like a parody of Squid Game.
Although he immediately deleted it, the post reached many of his followers. Sung Hoon then received criticism, especially since the country was holding its seven-day national mourning period following the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people.
In a statement, his agency, BH Entertainment, said that the actor received the image via a direct message, felt it was "problematic" and needed to be reported to his manager. However, it was uploaded by mistake.
Sung Hoon also issued an apology and promised to be more careful.
However, backlash continued, including some online protests to reconsider the actor's casting as the male lead.
Sung Hoon played a transgender character named Hyun-Ju, or Player 120, in Squid Game. His character is a former special forces soldier and transgender woman who joins the deadly game because she's short on money for her gender-affirming surgery.
Before this, he appeared in various projects including Roots of the Throne, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, The Glory, and Queen of Tears, among others.
