April's Na-eun removed from 'Taxi Driver' following ostracism allegations

Lee Na-eun of K-pop girl group April / Courtesy of DSP Media

By Dong Sun-hwa

Lee Na-eun, a member of K-pop girl group April who was accused recently of ostracizing Lee Hyun-joo when they were bandmates several years ago, has been pulled from the TV series "Taxi Driver."

Despite her agency DSP Media's denial of the allegations, Studio S, the production company for the upcoming SBS drama, said Monday that it will replace her with someone else.

"About 60 percent of the filming has been completed, but we have decided to replace Na-eun with another actress after talking with her management company," the company said in a statement. "We will reshoot all the scenes with the new actress."

The company also apologized for taking some time before making a decision.

"We had to reflect on public opinion and began searching for someone who can replace her," it said. "We ask for your understanding … we will wisely use the remaining time to produce an interesting series for you."

"Taxi Driver" follows Kim Do-gi ― played by Lee Je-hoon ― who works as a taxi driver for Rainbow Taxi Company and takes revenge on behalf of his falsely accused clients. Na-eun was initially set to play Go Eun, a hacker.

The story is based on the popular webcomic "The Deluxe Taxi" by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin. It will premiere on April 9.

Earlier this month, Na-eun and the other April members came under fire after a person who claimed to be Hyun-joo's brother posted accusations online that they ostracized his sister. He insisted that Hyun-joo had no choice but to leave the group in 2016 because of them. April's agency, which also manages the actress, denied the accusations and threatened legal action against Hyun-joo and anyone who spreads such allegations online.

Na-eun debuted as part of April in 2015 with the mini-album "Dreaming." She rose to stardom after playing a lead role in the 2018 web-based drama series "A-Teen" and "A-Teen 2" for two seasons. But due to the recent scandal, she lost commercial appearance with several brands including J.ESTINA and Dongsuh Foods.

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