Columnist and broadcaster Kwak Jeong-eun. [Newsis]
Columnist and broadcaster Kwak Jeong-eun. [Newsis]

Writer and broadcaster Kwak Jeong-eun has issued a belated apology over a remark she made 12 years ago about singer Jang Kiha — saying she had wondered what he would be like in bed — which sparked a sexual harassment controversy at the time.

On Tuesday, Kwak posted a video to her YouTube channel in which she discussed her "night routine" as a 48-year-old single woman, including a recent decision to replace her bed.

"Lately I've been trying to learn not just how to live hard, but how to rest well and come back to myself," she said in the video. "I've come to think that a good bed may be less a piece of furniture that puts you to sleep and more one that lets you stop."

She then explained why the word "bed" had taken on a particular significance for her.

"Twelve years ago, on a variety show, I said about a male celebrity that he was the kind of man who made you wonder what he'd be like in bed," Kwak said. "There were a lot of articles about it for a while, and I got a lot of comments asking how I could say something like that."

She offered context for the remark, saying she had spent 13 years — most of her adult life — working as a magazine journalist, and had been the reporter who wrote the most sexual content at a publication that actively covered such topics. "My understanding of broadcasting was limited," she said. "I hadn't thought carefully enough about the fact that expressions acceptable in a magazine could make a much larger audience uncomfortable when said on television."

She added that she had since come to understand the responsibility that comes with speaking publicly. "Regardless of my intent, there is always a context and situation at the moment something is said, and it is the speaker's responsibility to be sensitive to that," she said. "Belatedly, I sincerely apologize to those who were made uncomfortable by what I said back then."

Kwak also addressed people who, even now, leave comments asking what she herself would be like in bed. "Life is too short to keep resenting someone for something said on a variety show 12 years ago," she said. "I hope you can let go of your anger and lend an ear to the many different things I have to say."

The original remark was made in 2014 on the SBS variety program "Magic Eye."

At the time, Kwak was discussing her first impressions of singers Jang Kiha and Roy Kim when she described Jang as a man who "seems difficult but is actually easy to approach." She then said that while he appeared quiet and reserved when sitting still, he unleashed explosive energy the moment he began to sing — and that this made her wonder what he would be like in bed, a comment that immediately drew criticism.

As the controversy grew, Kwak posted an explanation on her personal blog, saying the remark had been "100 percent positive praise" for Jang's sexual appeal from her perspective as a sex columnist, informed by having seen both sides of him — the physical, energetic performer on stage and the quiet, careful conversationalist in a small room.

Meanwhile, Kwak built her public profile through appearances on JTBC's "Witch Hunt" and KBS Joy's "Love Interference," known for her candid commentary and life advice. Last year, she was appointed an adjunct professor at Hanyang University's graduate school of counseling psychology.


betterj@heraldcorp.com