Ok Joo-hyun says she regrets dropping lawsuit over 'Ok Jangpan' controversy, slams auto-tune singers

Musical actor and singer Ok Joo-hyun has stirred the entertainment industry with candid remarks made to fans — revisiting the so-called "Ok Jangpan" controversy and taking aim at singers who rely on post-production vocal correction.

According to online communities and fan communication platforms Monday, Ok recently brought up the "Ok Jangpan" controversy that erupted in 2022, addressing it directly in conversations with fans.

Targeting actor Kim Ho-young, who had taken legal action at the time, Ok said she never received an apology. "All I got was: 'Thank you for dropping the lawsuit. But I never targeted you — I was just promoting a friend's father's flooring business,'" she said, adding that dropping the lawsuit was the decision she "regrets the most."

The dispute began in June 2022, during the casting process for the 10th-anniversary production of the musical "Elisabeth," when Kim posted on social media the phrase "It's Ok Jangpan now" — a play on Ok's name and the Korean word for vinyl flooring — implying that casting was based on personal connections. Ok denied the nepotism allegations and filed a defamation complaint against Kim, but ultimately withdrew it after a group of first-generation musical theater sunbae issued a joint statement, bringing the episode to a close.

Ok said the fallout from the incident was severe. "A probiotic advertisement I had was pulled just five days after it aired. After every performance, I had to go to the brand's headquarters for meetings every day, and filing the lawsuit was unavoidable because I would have had to pay triple the penalty if I couldn't prove my innocence," she said. "In the end I avoided the penalty, but the advertiser suffered significant losses. It's sad that my nickname — once 'Ok Oxy' or 'Ok Corn' — changed overnight to 'Ok Jangpan.'"

Actors Ok Joo-hyun and Kim Ho-young [Herald Muse]

Ok's sharp remarks did not stop there, extending to what she described as the widespread use of auto-tune and post-production vocal processing in the music industry.

"These days, even people who can't sing get their tracks heavily processed with auto-tune, and those of us who care about live performance feel a deep sense of disillusionment," she said, delivering a pointed critique of the current pop music landscape.

She was particularly critical of the reliance on mechanical correction even during broadcast recordings. "Performances that I thought were absolutely unfit to air all end up leveled down in this strange way thanks to auto-tune. Honestly, it infuriates me. I don't want to be lumped in with that," she said.

Ok added, "These days, seeing how heavily auto-tune is used in post-production, it really feels like absolutely anyone can come out and sing — it's a circus." She said she hoped there would be more room for people who are truly talented singers.

Ok debuted in 1998 as a member of the girl group Fin.K.L, remaining active as a first-generation idol before transitioning to musical theater, where she has become one of the industry's leading stars.

shee@heraldcorp.com