Go Joon-hee denies involvement in Seungri scandal

Go Joon-hee. Courtesy of Hankook Sports Economy

By Park Jin-hai

Actress Go Joon-hee, rumored to have been involved in the sex scandal centered on Seungri, the former member of BigBang, has denied an allegation that she was invited to one of the K-pop singer's sex-for-business parties held for Japanese investors.

In a statement issued Monday evening on Instagram, the 33-year-old actress denied any connection to Seungri, claiming the rumor was groundless.

In a recent episode of an SBS investigative journalism show “Questions Unanswered,” part of a 2015 KakaoTalk group chatroom conversation between Seungri, Choi Jong-hoon and Jung Joon-young was revealed.

In the chat, Seungri and Jung implied they were recruiting women for the party and Choi said, “This actress is in New York right now.” When Seungri asked “Noona (sister) is in New York again?” Choi replied “Actresses always go abroad whenever they have time off.”

After their conversation was disclosed, netizens issued wild speculations presuming Go was the “New York noona” mentioned in the conversation. They reasoned that Go has been close to Seungri, working at the same agency, YG at the time, and that the actress was in New York around the time of the conversation. Seungri hashtagged #secretconnections below his photo with the actress which also fanned the speculation.

“I couldn't stay silent any longer about the recent rampant rumors about me, which are hurting my family and fans,” Go said. “After the broadcast of Unanswered Questions two weeks ago, I received many phone calls from acquaintances who saw my name in related search results (for the Seungri sex scandal). Because it has nothing to do with me, I did not respond to the speculation. But, now the situation is snowballing every day.”

Although she acknowledged that she knows Seungri as someone working in the same industry, she distanced herself from the controversial K-pop singer. “It is completely false that I attended Seungri's parties for business partners or I was asked to attend them,” she said.

She added, “As the center of the rumor, whether it is true or not, I became a victim. Regarding the scandal, it is painful that victims ― not perpetrators ― get all the attention, consumed as the subject of gossip and criticized.”

The actress said that she will not tolerate those who disseminate false information about her, warning of legal action.

Go was previously cast in the lead role in the new KBS romantic comedy “Perfume,” but her agency, Hoga Entertainment, made it public Monday that she and the production company had agreed for her to opt out of it.