Date photos with fellow cast member Yeongho surface online

Oksun says images were leaked due to her own mistake

I Am Solo. [ENA]
I Am Solo. [ENA]

Oksun, a cast member from Season 31 of ENA and SBS Plus's dating show "I Am Solo" who was caught up in a controversy over alleged backstabbing of fellow cast members, has said she is "not the perpetrator who led the bullying" and is pursuing legal action against those spreading false information about her.

Just as memories of Season 31 were beginning to fade, photos of Oksun on a date with fellow cast member Yeongho recently surfaced on an online community before being deleted, reigniting public interest. To address the situation, Oksun posted a lengthy statement on her social media on Monday.

Regarding the private photos taken with Yeongho, Oksun said the images were "leaked due to my own mistake," adding that she "did not post them to announce an imminent marriage or the resumption of a relationship, nor did I make them public with any particular intent." She also said she had "conveyed her apologies to the other person involved."

The photos showed the two embracing each other and kissing on the cheek, suggesting a romantic relationship.

However, Oksun only explained how the photos were leaked and did not clarify whether she and Yeongho are currently in a relationship.

Oksun said that "since the Season 31 broadcast of 'I Am Solo' in April, repeated online circulation of false information and distorted accounts has made it difficult to carry on with normal daily life," and confirmed she is "currently pursuing legal action regarding these matters."

"You may wonder why I am bringing this up again now," she wrote, "but while it may be nothing more than a passing piece of gossip or conversation for some, for me it has been a matter of my livelihood, my life and my personal relationships."

Oksun said there was "one point I most urgently want to set straight," stating clearly: "I am not the perpetrator who led the bullying."

"I never intentionally excluded or ostracized any specific person on set," she said. "The claim that I persistently bullied someone who was merely a fellow cast member — someone I never met outside of filming and had no particular personal connection with — is not true."

She appealed to the public to "stop labeling me as a 'ringleader,' a 'The Glory'-type figure or a 'perpetrator' based solely on fragmentary scenes shown in the broadcast, and to stop describing me in sensationalist terms." She added that "the most painful thing for me is having someone branded as a perpetrator on the basis of unverified circumstances alone, and seeing that repeated and spread."

She said she posted the statement "to protect my life and correct the distorted facts," closing with: "I want to rebuild my shattered daily life, return to where I was, and live again with an ordinary smile, just as before."

Earlier, Season 31 of "I Am Solo" drew bullying allegations after footage aired showing Oksun, Jeonghui and Yeongsu talking about fellow cast member Sunja. In June, Oksun posted on social media asking "ChatGPT, tell me how to escape rumors of marriage and pregnancy," and shared a group meal photo with all Season 31 cast members, writing that she had been "living just fine when, without even a chance to explain myself, I became a perpetrator in the eyes of the whole country overnight," and urging people to "stop making malicious assumptions."


jshan@heraldcorp.com