Agency Clarifies Why Korea Actress Han So Hee Shouted “Please Be Quiet!” During an Event

By
Valerie Chua
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Back in the good old days of secondary school, teachers would yell at the class to be quiet, and none of the students would bat an eye. 

However, when a Korean celebrity does it (at half that volume), it can quickly devolve into online controversy and spark unwarranted gossip among eagle-eyed netizens.

A YouTube Short of Han So Hee Goes Viral For All the Wrong Reasons

If you’ve been binge-watching Kdramas on Netflix lately, you might recognise Han So Hee as one of the main protagonists of the spine-tingling series Gyeongseong Creature. 

Like most other celebrities, So Hee has other responsibilities outside her busy acting schedule. As a global ambassador for high-end jewellery brand Boucheron, she is often invited to represent the brand at one of their many events. 

On 1 March 2024, a YouTube short was posted featuring Han So Hee’s appearance at an event hosted by Boucheron during Paris Fashion Week. 

However, that’s where the trouble began brewing.

The clip began with what was arguably a rough start. Looking uncharacteristically annoyed, So Hee raised her voice and said, “Please be quiet!” to certain people off-screen. A faint apology to the celebrity can be heard shortly after. 

While the rest of the video showed So Hee having fun partying with other celebrities and being otherwise cheerful, netizens quickly zeroed in on So Hee’s initial grumpiness. 

In the comment section, furious netizens deemed the celebrity’s behaviour “rude” and “undignified”.

In the few English comments interspersed in the video, some speculated that alcohol might have been the reason behind So Hee’s behaviour. 

Image: YouTube.com (@talkslime)
Image: YouTube.com (@talkslime)

Other Korean netizens argued that parties like Boucheron’s were meant to be loud and rowdy, deeming So Hee’s actions unnecessary and dampening the mood. 

Han So Hee’s Agency Clarifies That Clip Was Taken Out Of Context

With the intense online storm brewing over mere seconds of footage, Han So Hee’s agency, 9Ato Entertainment, quickly responded with a statement to explain what really happened.

In the statement made on 5 March, 9Ato Entertainment explained that a large crowd had gathered during Boucheron’s event in Paris.

Out of safety concerns, staff were yelling for members of the event to cooperate with them so the event could be carried out smoothly. 

Due to the event’s international nature, language barriers among the Korean-speaking participants quickly arose. As such, Han So Hee needed to raise her voice to advise the crowd to listen to the staff’s instructions.  

However, the YouTube short took that moment out of context, misleading netizens into thinking that So Hee was shouting at a specific person out of annoyance.

A separate netizen who goes by @adoring_sohee, also took the effort to identify the potential safety hazards that So Hee and the on-site staff were trying to warn members at the event about, such as tripping hazards, crowd control issues and risk of equipment damage.

Idols and Celebrities In Korea Face Intense Scrutiny

As cliché as it is, we should probably think twice before jumping to conclusions. 

However, in the world of sparkly idols and glamorous Kdrama celebs, small moments that paint them in any way less than perfect often result in negative backlash. 

In fact, something as much as a glare can quickly set off alarm bells in the heads of netizens. 

Such was the unfortunate case of MOMOLAND’s Nancy, who was accused of putting on a “bombastic side eye” at BLACKPINK’s acceptance speech in an episode of the Korean music television programme Music Core.

While netizens were quick to accuse Nancy of being “rude”, others pointed out that the clip was purposely taken out of context, as other parts of the episode showed Nancy smiling and congratulating the members of BLACKPINK. 

At the end of the day, aren’t celebrities human just like us? If we can’t control our chronic case of RBF at work, do we really have the right to slander celebrities who unwittingly do the same?

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Valerie Chua
Email: [email protected]