Scenes featuring South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun were snipped from the ongoing Disney Plus variety show Good Day amid the raging controversy surrounding his alleged relationship with Kim Sae-ron, a K-drama actress who died by suicide on February 16, the makers said on Monday.
The production team of Good Day, Teo Universe, apologised for causing a delay in the broadcast of the show. In their statement, they also acknowledged the gravity of the controversy.
“The production team is fully aware of the seriousness of the controversy surrounding one of the cast members and is continuing the production while prioritizing the viewers' reactions,” the statement read.
Teo Universe also mentioned that they edited the fifth episode, which aired on March 16 (Sunday), due to the controversy. After discussions with MBC and global OTT platforms, they edited out Kim Soo-hyun’s segment from the show that was already being translated and scheduled for broadcast. As a result, the fifth episode was about 10 minutes shorter than usual and lacked some details.
“Regarding the recording that took place on March 13th, the production team had been waiting for an official statement from Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, as the recording was delayed due to the controversy. However, since the agency announced that they would be making a statement next week (as of March 13) and it would be difficult to secure the cast member's schedule after that, the production team decided, after much consideration, to proceed with the recording,” the statement further read.
Good Day is an ongoing South Korean variety show hosted by G-Dragon, the leader of Big Bang. It premiered on MBC TV on February 16 and is also available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Kim Sae-ron, who gained popularity as a child actor, passed away on February 16, which coincidentally is Soo-hyun’s birthday. According to police reports, 24-year-old Sae-ron was found dead at her residence. Police said Kim’s death was a suicide.
Previously, the Garosero Research Institute, a South Korean YouTube channel, dropped a video where Sae-ron’s aunt claimed that Soo-hyun dated Sae-ron for five years and they broke up after the actress’s drink-driving incident in 2022.
Later, the channel also dropped a video alleging that the actress’s debt dispute with her previous agency, Gold Medalist, which also manages actor Kim Soo-hyun, may have been the reason behind her untimely passing.
Recently, the actress’s family had accused Soo-hyun of dating her when she was a minor. However, Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, denied the allegations, stating that the couple began dating only after Sae-ron had become an adult.