Woman who accused actor Hwang Jung-min described as 'obsessive fan' — but commentator says actor 'gave her reason to hope'

A controversy is dividing public opinion after a woman identified only as K claimed she had an inappropriate relationship with actor Hwang Jung-min, while Hwang denied the allegations and called her a stalker. Observers say both things can be true: that K committed a stalking offense, and that Hwang behaved in ways that invited misunderstanding.

On Friday, the YouTube channel "Yeonye Dwittongyeong Yi Jin-ho," a celebrity commentary channel, released a video titled "Did he even drag in his son? The chilling full story of the Hwang Jung-min exposé."

Host Yi Jin-ho said of the controversy: "This is not a 100-to-zero situation. We need to look objectively at both sides of the story."

K claims she and Hwang maintained an inappropriate relationship from August 2023 through late 2024, communicating mainly by phone and messages, with in-person meetings on only three or four occasions. She also claims that at Hwang's suggestion she took on work including liquor-brand consulting and writing fiction.

Yi described K as "a 40-year-old woman of considerable beauty — 15 years younger than Hwang. Put kindly, she is a devoted fan of his; put less kindly, she is closer to an obsessive sasaeng fan."

Yi said Hwang gave K reason to believe there was something between them. He noted that Hwang drank alone with a fan who idolized him and was the one who initiated calls and kept up personal conversations. According to transcripts K made public, Hwang told her, "I want to hold you, too," and asked her to "just write me some fun, racy fiction — something I can read and laugh at."

"Why would you go out of your way to please someone and call them first to say things like that if there's nothing going on?" Yi said. "Hwang's biggest mistake was getting her number, drinking one-on-one with someone who would have been happy just shaking his hand, and exchanging private KakaoTalk messages and phone calls. The fact that he gave her reason to hope is undeniable." Yi concluded it would be a stretch to view Hwang as a simple victim.

That said, Yi was clear that none of this justifies K's stalking. When Hwang began to distance himself, K sent hundreds of messages, including lengthy texts pressuring him. Some contained repeated lines such as "I'm going to kill myself" and threats including "Die, just die."

K also sent threatening messages to Hwang's minor son through his social media account and showed up at the son's graduation performance. In those messages, she told the son to pass along a warning: that his father had wronged her and pushed her toward suicide, and that if he did not want the story in the press, he should have his father get in touch.

Citing these actions, Yi said: "This is clear-cut stalking at the level of an obsessive fan — it cannot be justified under any circumstances. There is no reason and no grounds to defend this behavior. She deserves to be punished."

K claims there was physical contact from their very first meeting, while Hwang maintains he never even held her hand. K has not provided evidence to support her physical-contact claims. Yi said: "There was no sexual intercourse, no kissing — not even hand-holding. The only physical contact she says occurred was an arm around the shoulder and a hand placed on the shoulder. It is ambiguous whether that constitutes sexual contact."

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