Seo Ye Ji’s Agency Releases Statement Addressing Reports That She Manipulated Kim Jung Hyun’s Behavior During His Drama “Time”

Kim Jung Hyun and Seo Ye Ji have been swept up in controversy due to a recent report by Dispatch regarding Kim Jung Hyun’s drama “Time.”

In 2018, Kim Jung Hyun came under fire for his behavior at the press conference for MBC’s “Time,” a drama he starred in with Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun.

On April 12, Dispatch published a report showing comparisons between the drama’s original script and the version used in the broadcast, explaining that 13 scenes including physical contact between the main characters were changed or removed. The media outlet further reported that Kim Jung Hyun had been receiving orders to do so from Seo Ye Ji, his girlfriend at the time, while filming the drama.

Dispatch explained that they had received tips about Kim Jung Hyun’s behavior three years ago and were able to get their hands on text messages shared between Kim Jung Hyun and Seo Ye Ji. Following recent issues surrounding Kim Jung Hyun, Dispatch verified the authenticity of the messages via various sources and concluded that the messages were real.

One of the conversations between Seo Ye Ji and Kim Jung Hyun went as follows:

Seo Ye Ji: Kim Stiff. Take out all of the physical contact.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course.
Seo Ye Ji: Why aren’t you telling me how you did today?
Kim Jung Hyun: Today I didn’t greet a female staff member. I was really stiff with other people.
Kim Jung Hyun: I made it clear to Director Jang again that I won’t do romance.
Seo Ye Ji: haha okay. Keep behaving stiffly.
Kim Jung Hyun: The script for episode 9 is complete, but I think it will need to be modified entirely.
Seo Ye Ji: Do a good job with the modifications.

In the original script for episode 9 of “Time,” Seohyun helps up an inebriated Kim Jung Hyun from the hallway of his apartment building, takes him inside his house, and lays him down on the sofa. In the broadcasted version, Seohyun simply tells him to get up from afar, and the scene ends in the hallway.

The following conversation took place during the shooting for the drama’s teaser in June 2018.

Kim Jung Hyun: Only you can touch my hands.
Seo Ye Ji: Be stiff no matter what you do. Make sure everything is modified well. Physical contact is a no-no.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. Kim Stiff!
Seo Ye Ji: Are you managing your actions well?
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. The teaser is being done by a female assistant director, and I’m acting stiff.
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t even make eye contact with females.
Seo Ye Ji: Modify everything well so there is no romance and no physical contact.
Kim Jung Hyun: Seo Joo Hyun (Seohyun’s real name) is currently filming, so just us guys are talking right now.
Kim Jung Hyun: I just asked Director Jang to completely remove the romance. I said it logically.

A staff member on set at the time revealed, “He kept asking for changes in the script on set. He stressed the importance of platonic love and asked to have any physical contact taken out. If things didn’t go his way, he would suddenly run outside and start gagging.”

According to Dispatch, the staff were worried about Kim Jung Hyun at first, but they later grew suspicious when Kim Jung Hyun was seen looking at his phone at all times.

Below is another conversation that shows Kim Jung Hyun sending Seo Ye Ji videos of the situation on set.

Seo Ye Ji: How did you greet [the staff]?
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t greet them all. (sends a video taken on set)
Seo Ye Ji: It’s right for you to not greet [the staff].
Seo Ye Ji: If they greet you first, you just have to respond stiffly.

Seo Ye Ji constantly requested that he send her video and audio. Kim Jung Hyun secretly took videos on set with the camera facing the ground.

Seo Ye Ji: I’m in a bad mood right now. Send me a video of the current situation.
Kim Jung Hyun: (sends a video taken on set)
Seo Ye Ji: It seems that the video you sent me was not taken on set?
Kim Jung Hyun: It is on set. It is inside the studio.

On set, Kim Jung Hyun constantly requested that changes be made to the script, and he sent updates to Seo Ye Ji.

Kim Jung Hyun: I’m continuously looking at my script. I’m not doing anything else.
Seo Ye Ji: Make sure changes are made so there is no romance.
Seo Ye Ji: You are happy thanks to me, right? So you should make me happier.

Kim Jung Hyun: I’m going to look at my script.
Seo Ye Ji: Okay. Get it modified well. Physical contact, romance, no-no.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course.

Following Dispatch’s report, Seo Ye Ji did not attend the press conference on April 13 for her upcoming film “Recalled.” Additionally, there were rumors that circulated about the actress’s educational background being fabricated and also about her being a perpetrator of school violence.

On April 13, Seo Ye Ji’s agency released the following statement in response to the reports:

Hello, this is GOLDMEDALIST Co.,Ltd.

This is an official statement regarding the recent reports about our agency’s actor Seo Ye Ji.

First of all, we apologize that it took a long time for an official statement to be released.

After checking with Kim Jung Hyun’s side, we received clear confirmation that the controversy regarding the drama did not occur because of Seo Ye Ji, and he expressed his intent to release his own statement regarding this. However, he expressed that it will take some time for the statement to be released because various issues are involved. As the controversy continues to heighten, we were told that it is alright for us to release our statement first, so we are releasing our statement now. We once again apologize for the delay in releasing a statement.

In addition, we sincerely bow our head in apology for the absence today from the press conference for the film “Recalled,” causing harm to staff and the other actors of the film as well as reporters.

We are revealing our statement separate from Kim Jung Hyun’s. It is logically difficult to accept the controversial report that a drama’s leading actor would act exactly as told by someone else without his own free will. It is realistically impossible that an actor can act and participate in filming without one’s own will.

It is not shown in the conversations that were revealed, but Kim Jung Hyun also made requests to Seo Ye Ji, who was filming a different drama, to not film kiss scenes. So Seo Ye Ji also told him, “Then you shouldn’t do it either,” among conversations of lovers showing jealousy about each other’s physical contact with others. This can be seen as a common lovers’ quarrel between actors who are dating. However, all actors carry out filming normally, putting their quarrels with their partners aside. We believe Kim Jung Hyun must have had an unavoidable personal matter as well. Moreover, the report contains conversations between individuals that should not have been made public, and great misunderstandings seem to have been caused because it was not taken into consideration that these are private conversations between lovers. Ultimately, we are deeply reflecting on having caused concern to many people due to personal immature feelings in a romantic relationship.

We are also receiving many questions about Seo Ye Ji’s education, so we would like to use this opportunity to share the facts. Seo Ye Ji had been admitted to Complutense University of Madrid in Madrid, but after starting her activities in Korea, she was not able to normally attend university.

Moreover, regarding the suspicions of school violence that were additionally raised, we inform you that they are completely false.

We once again apologize for the trouble caused.

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