Actor Hwang Shin-hye, whose brother has quadriplegia, says current situation 'troubling'

Actor Hwang Shin-hye has drawn attention online after posting remarks that appeared to reference the controversy surrounding YouTuber Park Wi's decision to release CCTV footage of a wheelchair fall he suffered while disembarking from a KTX train.

Hwang shared photos Friday on her personal social media account showing a family lunch outing. Her younger brother, Hwang Jeong-eon, a mouth-and-foot painter, briefly appeared in the images seated in a wheelchair.

In the caption, Hwang wrote that seeing her brother reminded her of the ongoing public debate. "As a family member of a person with a disability, I find the current situation troubling and unsettling," she wrote, in an apparent reference to the Park Wi controversy.

She added: "I believe that small acts of consideration from others mean a great deal to those who need help. I hope that warm heart never changes."

The remarks appeared to reflect concern that the controversy could discourage people from offering help to those with disabilities.

Hwang Jeong-eon sustained a neck injury in an accident that left him with quadriplegia. He has since worked as a mouth-and-foot painter, holding a brush with his mouth to create his works.

Meanwhile, Park Wi was diagnosed with quadriplegia in 2014 after a fall accident in his late 20s. He gained a wide following through his YouTube channel, Weeracel, where he documented his daily rehabilitation. His upbeat, positive energy — shown through feats such as maneuvering a wheelchair, driving and using chopsticks — earned him recognition for helping improve public awareness of people with disabilities.

Park married singer Song Ji-eun, a former member of the girl group Secret, in October 2024, and had expanded his public profile through TV variety programs, lectures and public ambassador roles. He recently became embroiled in controversy after posting CCTV footage of the KTX wheelchair incident on his YouTube channel. Many online users criticized the move as excessive, arguing that it publicly exposed a mistake made by a social service worker. After the backlash, Park deleted the video and apologized, saying he was "sorry for disappointing so many people." He and his wife also stepped down from their roles as promotional ambassadors for the Seoul Metropolitan Government.