Choi Jung-hyun, who appeared as Young-soo on the 32nd season of “I’m Solo,” has apologized after filming co-star Jung Min-hyun without her consent on the variety show “Contract Marriage,” TV Daily reported on November 4.
Choi posted the apology on social media on November 3, a day after the episode aired. “First, I sincerely apologize to Min-hyun,” he wrote. “I admitted my fault and apologized at the time, but I still feel only sorry, so I am apologizing once again.”
The row stems from the November 2 episode, aired on KBS Joy and MBC every1. TV Daily reported that Choi set up a personal camera in the couple’s shared living room while Jung was cooking and filmed their daily life for about two days without asking her first. Jung raised the lack of consent when she discovered the camera.
Choi said the footage was meant as a keepsake: moments the broadcast cameras missed, edited into a surprise gift video. “Whatever my intention was, I did not deeply consider that having one’s daily life recorded without one’s knowledge could itself be uncomfortable and hurtful,” he wrote.
“Missing the obvious consideration of first seeking the other person’s consent in a space we share was my fault, with no room for excuses,” Choi wrote, adding that he wants to ask for and respect the other person’s wishes first in any relationship. He also apologized to viewers who felt uncomfortable.
The on-air exchange had already drawn criticism. Choi first defended the filming as preserving memories and said he would delete the footage if asked, but then asked Jung whether she was being overly sensitive. She asked him to delete the video in front of her; he did so and handed her the memory card.
After the broadcast, Choi posted a now-deleted social media message declaring that a “real war” was about to begin. His November 3 apology struck a markedly different tone.
Choi rose to public attention as Young-soo on “I’m Solo” season 32, whose cast has kept making headlines, including the October 26 announcement that fellow season 32 stars Young-sook and Young-sik had split. His apology admits fault outright; whether viewers accept it will likely shape how his “Contract Marriage” run is received.
