Netizen apologized only after being contacted by police

'Sorry for hurting you … I'm not a troll'

An apology message received by Oksooon, a cast member of Season 31 of "I'm Solo," from a malicious commenter. [SNS capture]
An apology message received by Oksooon, a cast member of Season 31 of "I'm Solo," from a malicious commenter. [SNS capture]

Oksooon, a cast member of Season 31 of the ENA and SBS Plus dating reality show "I'm Solo," has shared a painful message she received from a malicious online commenter, even as she prepares to take legal action over the spread of rumors about her.

Oksooon posted the message on SNS on Wednesday, revealing that a netizen had written to admit posting malicious comments. "I honestly didn't think you'd ever see it," the person wrote. "I saw the comments piling up and wrote something hurtful on impulse. I'm sorry."

The person added that after receiving a call from a police station, work became impossible to focus on. "I thought I had to apologize first," the message read. "It was only today that I realized a single comment can take a life or cause deep pain."

The person nonetheless insisted they were "not a troll," saying the comment had been posted "in a momentary lapse" and adding, "I'll cooperate with the investigation. When the police called, I didn't even remember posting it."

Sharing the message, Oksooon fired back: "Because of the fingers you moved without a second thought, I quit a perfectly good job, spent months hiding away and cried alone in my room until morning. Please don't send me messages like this."

Earlier, on Monday, Oksooon had posted a lengthy statement saying she had been suffering from malicious comments and the spread of false information since the show aired.

Oksooon denied being the ringleader of what viewers called the "Soonja bullying controversy," saying she "never intentionally excluded or ostracized any specific person on set." She also dismissed allegations of pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage and sexually transmitted disease as untrue, and warned she would no longer show leniency toward those spreading rumors or posting malicious comments about her.

Regarding recently circulated private photos of Oksooon with fellow Season 31 cast member Yeongho, Oksooon said the images were a "mistake" and did not hint at marriage or a rekindled relationship, adding that she had apologized to the other person involved.

Oksooon said that being labeled an abuser based on select broadcast footage, and having false information spread about her online, had made it impossible to live a normal life. "I want to rebuild my shattered daily life and go back to smiling and living ordinarily like before," she said.


betterj@heraldcorp.com