Fin.K.L's Ock Joo-hyun Says Kim Ho-young Never Apologized Over 'Ok-jangpan' and That She Regrets Dropping Her Lawsuit

Ock Joo-hyun, a former member of the K-pop group Fin.K.L and now a musical theater actor, has again addressed the 2022 defamation dispute widely known as the "Ok-jangpan" controversy. In a detailed reflection on the episode, she described the emotional toll and aftermath of the case, claimed she never received a meaningful apology from fellow musical actor Kim Ho-young, and said her decision to withdraw the lawsuit remains "the choice I regret most."

Ock made the remarks on July 6 while communicating with fans through a fan platform. Looking back on the controversy, she wrote to the effect that she had been reminded of the word "Ok-jangpan" after a long time and that, even now, she could only give a hollow laugh at the explanation that the post had been meant to promote flooring sold by a friend's father. Her comments were interpreted as a direct reference to the "Ok-jangpan incident," which caused a major stir online and in the performing arts scene roughly four years ago.

The controversy began in June 2022, when musical actor Kim Ho-young posted a short phrase on his social media account: "Asaripan is an old word. Now it is Ok-jangpan." Because the post appeared shortly after casting for the musical "Elisabeth" had been announced, speculation quickly spread inside and outside the theater world that Kim's wording was aimed at Ock Joo-hyun and the production's casting.

At the time, some critics went further and raised allegations of so-called "network casting," claiming that Ock had influenced the casting of actors with whom she was close. What began as a brief social media phrase soon grew into a broader dispute over fairness in the musical industry. Online, unverified speculation and criticism continued to circulate, and the controversy expanded beyond theater into wider popular culture.

Ock Joo-hyun and EMK Musical Company, the production company behind "Elisabeth," denied the related allegations in full. Ock then began legal action against Kim Ho-young, saying the matter amounted to the spread of false information and defamation. The issue moved beyond an internal conflict in the performing arts community and became a legal dispute.

As the controversy intensified, Kim Ho-young's side explained that the post had not been aimed at Ock. He said that the father of an acquaintance was in the flooring business and that the post, written to promote that business, had unexpectedly been overinterpreted. The explanation was presented as an attempt to calm the situation.

In her latest writing, however, Ock said that from her perspective, the explanation was never received as an apology.

"I have never received a proper apology to this day," she said. According to Ock, what she heard was essentially: "Thank you for withdrawing the lawsuit. But I never targeted you, noona," along with the explanation that the post had been meant to promote a friend's father's flooring. Ock indicated indirectly that this was far from the sincere apology she had expected.

Ock also explained in detail why she felt she had no choice but to take legal action at the time. She said the controversy did not stop at damage to her image, but led directly to losses connected to commercial contracts.

She recalled that an advertisement she had filmed for a diet probiotic product was taken off the air just five days after the incident occurred. After performances, she said, she had to visit the advertising brand's headquarters almost every day to explain the situation and continue meetings about the fallout.

Ock said she was in a position where, unless she could formally prove that she had done nothing wrong, she could be required under the advertising contract to pay up to three times the penalty amount. "In the end, in order to objectively prove that I was innocent, I had no choice but to go through the process of filing a complaint," she explained.

She said that after she later withdrew the complaint, she was able to avoid liability for the advertising contract penalty, but the advertising campaign itself had effectively already been halted.

"In the end, I did not have to pay the penalty, but June is the most important peak season for diet products, and the division that was running the advertisement suffered considerable economic losses," Ock said. She stressed that the incident affected not only her personal reputation but also a company's marketing schedule and contractual relationships.

Ock was especially direct about the damage she believes the incident caused to her public image.

She said playful nicknames that had once been used for her, such as "Oxy Clean" and "Oksusu," suddenly changed completely into "Ok-jangpan." Looking back, she said, "The thing I regret most after that incident is ultimately the decision to withdraw the lawsuit." Her remarks suggest that even after the legal dispute ended, the negative image and stigma formed online continued for a long period.

Her new disclosure has drawn attention because it revisits, from the perspective of one of the people directly involved, a major controversy that shook the performing arts world about four years ago. At the time, the "Ok-jangpan" controversy was seen as an example of how a single social media post could generate multiple interpretations and expand into debates over fairness, defamation, responsibility in shaping online public opinion, and the casting system in the musical theater industry.

Through her latest comments, Ock again emphasized that the case was not a simple online incident, but one that had a significant impact on her entertainment career, advertising contracts, and public image. At the same time, by saying she still does not believe she received a sincere apology even after the legal process ended, she suggested that for her, the controversy remains an unresolved memory.