Actor Kim Ji-ho (51) officially apologized for drawing ballpoint underlines in a library book, calling it “careless behavior.” Now, fans say she did the same thing three years ago.
On the 23rd, Kim posted the cover of author Kim Hoon’s novel and shared a close-up of multiple lines underlined in pen inside the book―borrowed from a public library. The post sparked backlash.
Kim then returned to social media with an apology: “At the end, I wanted to remember a passage and fell back on my habit of underlining in my own books, even though this one was from a public library. That makes no sense. When someone pointed it out, I immediately realized I was wrong. I’ll buy a new copy for the library or cover the cost―whatever it takes to replace it. Sometimes I act carelessly. I hear the criticism loud and clear and will be more careful going forward.”
Meanwhile, online users pointed out similar behavior in the past. In an older post showing Kim reading Lee O-ryeong’s book, several sentences appeared underlined in ballpoint pen. With a black pen visible beside the book, commenters criticized the action as “not a one-time mistake but a long-standing bad habit.”
According to public library materials management rules, anyone who loses or damages a book must replace it with the same item or compensate the library as directed.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)