'Gold spoon' casting claim tarnishes actress' role

Cho Jae-hyun, left, and his daughter Hae-jung from SBS's "Take Care of My Dad" / Courtesy of SBS

The daughter of actor Cho Jae-hyun has been accused using her “gold spoon” status to win a role in a new TV series.

Media reports Monday said Cho Hae-jung, 23, will play the heroine in MBC every1’s webtoon-based series, tentatively titled “Imagination Cat,” scheduled to air next month.

Netizens said the star, who is appearing in the SBS father-daughter reality show “Take Care of My Dad,” does not deserve a leading role in the series. Many referred to her as having a “gold spoon” -- a star actor for a father.

Hae-jung’s brother, Soo-hoon, defended her on Facebook. He admitted she was born with a “gold spoon” but said “gold spoons also have the right to make their dreams come true.”

“My sister has studied acting since middle school and entered an American college after passing an acting audition,” he said.

But netizens retorted, with one saying: “It is not a pretty picture to see when a celebrity’s child easily accomplishes something that ordinary people usually have a hard time doing.”

The casting also angered the public because Cho, head of theater company SooHyunJae Company & Theater, previously said on TV that he makes his daughter do chores in his company like other starting actors.