On Oct. 18, fans were taken aback after reading online about Kim-Seon-ho’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend “A.” “A” wrote in an angered tone, making allegations that Kim Seon-ho had coerced her into aborting her “precious baby” with the “false promise of marriage”—only to change his attitude and ultimately break up with her.  

Kim Seon-ho’s fans were in-denial, but after Kim apologized to “A” on Oct. 20, the public saw his response as a confirmation of the allegations. Following the apology, “A” modestly admitted that there were misunderstandings between the two.  

Since the scandal, Kim has left “Two Days and One Night” (a show he has starred in since 2019), been dropped from projects like “2 O’Clock Date”, and lost all commercials with companies such as Domino’s Pizza Korea, threatening his rising career. 

From this incident, Kim Seon-ho was framed as a villain and ex-girlfriend “A” as the victim of his malicious behavior. 

But on Oct. 26, Dispatch, an online media outlet infamously known for its speedy updates on celebrities’ news, revealed that many of the exaggerated allegations put forth by “A,” found to be former weathercaster Choi Young-ah, were nothing more than remarks sparked by jealousy and frustration toward Kim. 

“We can’t trust everything that is posted on the internet, but from reading Dispatch today, I think the ex-girlfriend definitely has a deep grudge against Kim Seon-ho because of his sudden gain in popularity right after their breakup,” Jane Kim, a student who has kept in-touch with the scandal, said. “I’m not a big fan of Kim Seon-ho and haven’t watched his shows, but I think the actions taken by his ex-girlfriend are a bit extreme.”

Though Choi claimed that Kim allegedly forced her into aborting her baby in July 2020, Dispatch contacted Choi’s close friend, who admitted that Choi made the ultimate decision in getting an abortion and that it had been a decision made as a couple. 

“I think this scandal really shows the extent of cancel culture and how people are so quick to make assumptions without knowing what truly happened,” Henry Hatridge, a student who had no prior knowledge about Kim Seon-ho, said. “I feel bad for Kim Seon-ho if he really did treat her properly. I think the ex-girlfriend’s actions were really bizarre and immoral.”

Choi hotly stated that “Kim Seon-ho’s response was pure trash” when she revealed her pregnancy, yet the same friend confessed that Choi’s depiction of his reaction was a misconstruction of the true story and that Kim showed nothing but love, congratulating her despite his fearful state. 

“I was a true fan of Kim Seonho and his shows like ‘Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ and ‘Two Days and One Night,’” Yujin Lee, a previous fan of Kim Seon-ho, said. “After his scandal circulated through Naver and Instagram, I realized that he sadly may be a lot different from what I saw on television. I just really don’t know what to believe as true after Dispatch’s article.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the Dispatch article, Kim Seon-ho has recently received more support and sympathy from the public, and Choi Young-ah is considered by some to be the culprit in their relationship. 

On Oct. 28, Miima Mask, a company which Kim represents, revived its advertisement video of Kim that had previously been deleted. With the swelling down of criticism and misinformation amongst fans, his reputation may slowly be back on the incline. 

The public is still in shock and are struggling to process this two-sided scandal. Yet, Dispatch labels the issue between the ex-couple not as a social problem, but merely a lovers’ quarrel.