Musical actor Ock Joo-hyun has revisited the so-called "Ock-jangpan" (Ock floor mat) controversy that shook the musical industry four years ago, stating, "I have never received an apology from Kim Ho-young," bringing the incident back into the spotlight. Ock recently mentioned the controversy on a fan communication platform, writing, "I have never received an apology. I was told, 'Thank you for dropping the lawsuit. But I have never targeted you, sister,' along with an explanation that it was a promotion for a friend's father's floor mat business." When a fan asked, "So you never received an apology?" she replied, "None." She also claimed, "The thing I regret most after that incident is dropping the lawsuit," adding, "Due to the controversy at the time, my diet probiotic commercial was pulled just five days after it began airing. I was in a situation where I would have had to pay triple the penalty if I didn't prove my innocence, and I had no choice but to choose a lawsuit to prove it. In the end, I dropped the lawsuit and avoided the penalty, but the commercial was terminated, and my agency suffered a significant loss."
In her conversation with fans, she mentioned the musical "Wicked" and compared her situation to a "witch hunt" within the work. She wrote, "Because of the rumors spread by the Oz citizens and the people who believed and acted on them, even my friends were in a situation where they were being misunderstood," adding, "It wasn't that I avoided it out of fear, but that an absurd situation was being unnecessarily blown out of proportion." The "Ock-jangpan" controversy initially began immediately after the casting announcement for the 10th-anniversary production of the musical "Elisabeth" in 2022. After Kim So-hyun, who had been mentioned as a potential candidate for the role of Elisabeth, posted a message on social media that seemed to imply her departure from the production, Kim Ho-young posted on his own social media, "The term 'asari-pan' (a chaotic mess) is old news. Now it's 'Ock-jangpan'," along with a photo of a floor mat and an image of a musical theater venue. This caused the controversy over Ock Joo-hyun's alleged interference in casting to spread significantly. In response, Ock strongly pushed back, stating, "The authority to oversee a project costing tens of billions of won lies solely with the production company," and "Those who wag their tongues and fingers without regard for the facts should be punished." She eventually filed a criminal complaint against Kim Ho-young for defamation. As the situation escalated and first-generation musical actors such as Nam Kyung-joo, Choi Jung-won, and Park Kal-lin issued a joint statement, Ock denied the allegations of interfering with musical casting but dropped the lawsuit, saying, "I feel responsible for the unfortunate incident of suing a fellow actor." At the time, Kim Ho-young's side stated, "We spoke directly with Ock Joo-hyun over the phone for a long time and resolved the misunderstanding," and concluded their position by saying, "We will no longer comment on the Ock-jangpan post." Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon | Produced by SBS Entertainment News
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