Actor Ji Chang Wook Responds To Controversy Of Hosting An Event During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Actor Ji Chang Wook was recently under fire for hosting an event for the promotion of his drama, Backstreet Rookies, as it ended up flouting social distancing rules. According to the event, he was supposed to work at a GS25 convenience store in South Korea for the afternoon as a cashier, much as his character does in the drama. Unfortunately, as his appearance drew huge crowds, the gathering of people drew concern for its lack of social distancing practices.

Ji Chang Wook’s agency, Glorious Entertainment, reportedly told Starnews on the 4th of August that it was originally simply meant to be a filming schedule, but was mistakenly published as an event. They also apologized for drawing the huge crowds and for being unable to handle it.

Although it is undisclosed as to what filming it was, Ji Chang Wook had appeared in a convenience store in Sinchon, Seoul, to work as a one-day manager. The day had been publicized on the convenience store’s Instagram, drawing attention.

The controversy came in the midst of worries of a second wave of coronavirus infections in South Korea, as clusters have sprung up in various coffee shops around the country. As more South Koreans are taking social distancing seriously, the crowd his event drew was criticized greatly.