Choi Soon-sil scandal shakes up entertainment circle

Fitness trainer Jung A-reum

Actress Kim Nam-joo Korea Times file photos

Actor Park Hae-jin

By Park Jin-hai

As the prosecutors continue with their raid of the presidential office in search of documents related to Choi Soon-sil, who is suspected of meddling in state affairs as President Park Geun-hye’s confidant, the so-called “Choi Soon-sil gate” has shaken local entertainment circles.

Celebrities allegedly related to Ko Young-tae, 40, a former host bar worker who had a relationship with Choi, have been weary that they too might become embroiled in the mudslinging.

Ko has managed The Blue K and Widec Sports, paper companies Choi set up in Korea and Germany allegedly to funnel money away from the Mir and K-Sports foundations. Ko is known to have many celebrity friends.

Actor Ko Joo-won faces a rumor that he is Ko Young-tae’s cousin and the one who introduced him around in the entertainment circle. Jung A-reum, a celebrity fitness trainer and former Miss Korea, has been rumored to have choreographed an exercise routine for the public with Cha Eun-taek, a commercial director and close acquaintance of Choi. Cha had led many of the culture ministry’s key initiatives, including the creation of a nationwide exercise routine. Cha was alleged to have influenced the culture ministry when the Korea Institute of Sports Science had already completed “Korea calisthenics” over two years at a cost of 200 million won, to make a new routine called “Neulpum calisthenics” choreographed by the celebrity fitness trainer.

On her blog Saturday, Jung revealed that she had been instructed by a culture ministry official to lie about her involvement in the project. She said the ministry “told me to say that I was the one who came up with the idea (of the new exercise routine) if anyone interviewed me.”

She continued, “Over the few months I worked, the money I was paid was not much. After the scandal broke out I learned the total budget for the project. I’m all frustrated since people might think that I pocketed a big chunk of money out of it.”

Actress Kim Nam-joo, who has often been seen in public carrying Villomillo bags, the accessory brand Ko started, may also suffer a setback. Many actors who were on the same celebrity baseball team “Play Boys” with Ko, including Hwang Jung-min and Jang Dong-gun, have been mentioned online as the scandal continued to snowball.

Actor Shin Hyun-joon posted a photo of him holding a candle on Instagram on Saturday, the same day a large rally was held at Cheonggye Plaza demanding that the President step down and a thorough investigation into Choi's alleged meddling in state affairs be conducted.

“Choi Soon-sil gate has been creating groundless rumors and celebrities are worried that they might become scapegoats, targeted by investigative authorities, instead of those who are really responsible,” said an industry insider, who declined to be named.

A photo of Park Hae-jin taken together with Ko and three other men 14 years ago was circulated online along with a rumor Park worked with Ko at a host bar. His agency announced that it will take strong measures against the false rumor.

“Park Hae-jin’s name has been continuously exposed next to the name of Ko Young-tae on web portals and internet community websites since Thursday,” his agency Mountain Movement said Friday on his fan club website, adding that this has seriously damaged Park's image as an actor.