Jiyeon halts YouTube activities after her baseball player husband's bench-clearing brawl

Jiyeon and Hang Jae-gyun / Captured from social media

Singer and actor Jiyeon, a former member of the girl group T-ara, has paused her YouTube activities, where she has 380,000 subscribers.

The announcement comes amid growing concerns that her husband, baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun's recent controversy has led to a surge of negative comments directed at her.

Jiyeon took to her social media on Thursday to inform her subscribers about her plans for the channel.

"Due to personal reasons, it will be difficult to upload YouTube videos for the time being. I ask for your understanding and promise to return with a brighter appearance," she said.

She has been actively engaging with her fans through YouTube, sharing updates and staying connected.

The sudden halt in her YouTube activities has led fans to speculate that it is linked to Hwang's recent bench-clearing incident.

On June 5, during a game between the KT Wiz and the Hanwha Eagles, Hwang erupted in anger at opposing pitcher Park Sang-won of the Eagles. Hwang's KT Wiz suffered a crushing 12-2 defeat against the Eagles at the Suwon KT Wiz Park in Gyeonggi Province.

During this game, Hanwha pitcher Park celebrated with big gestures after he struck out KT Wiz catcher Jang Sung-woo in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 10-point lead.

Although Hanwha's veteran pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin apologized and promised to talk to Park, the situation escalated after the game as Hwang, visibly angry, gestured aggressively toward Park, leading to a bench-clearing brawl.

The incident, which was caught on camera, escalated into a bench-clearing requiring intervention from both teams' managers.

As the footage circulated, Jiyeon began receiving a barrage of negative comments on her social media and YouTube channels, with people on social media directing their ire at her over her husband's actions.

Jiyeon and Hwang tied the knot in December 2022. Jiyeon debuted with T-ara in 2009, earning widespread love for numerous hit songs.

She has also pursued acting, with roles in dramas such as "Master of Study" and "Dream High 2," as well as the film "Death Bell 2."

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.