TV personality Kim Na-young apologizes over photo of sons on elevator handrail
TV personality Kim Na-young captures her two sons climbing on elevator handrails in this photo posted on her social media. Captured from her social media
TV personality Kim Na-young has apologized after facing public criticism for a photo she posted on Instagram featuring her two sons.
Addressing the controversy, Kim wrote on Instagram Monday, "I am sorry. I was thoughtless. I will be more careful in the future."
Earlier, Kim had shared several photos with the caption, "Weekend of a sports family," showing herself and her two sons playing tennis, taking a walk, and posing inside an elevator. In one of the images, her two sons were seen sitting on and stretching their legs over the elevator’s handrails.
When a user asked whether she had wiped the handrails afterward, Kim replied, "We cleaned them before getting off."
However, criticism mounted over the family’s behavior.
Commenters pointed out, "It is not just about cleanliness. Parents should teach children why they should not climb on handrails," and, "It is not simply a hygiene issue but a safety risk."
Others noted that the children could have been seriously injured. As the controversy grew, Kim deleted the photos and disabled comments on the post.
Kim married a financial industry professional 10 years her senior in 2015 but divorced in 2019. She has been raising her two sons as a single mother and has been in a public relationship with singer and painter MyQ since 2021.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.