A Remembrance to a Dozen Kang Ji Hwan Classic Dramas From Be Strong Geum Soon to Hong Gil Dong to Coffee House
It’s hard to say goodbye even when you know there’s no other way. With Kang Ji Hwan publicly admitting culpability for recent charges of rape and sexual assault on two women, waiting for the outcome of the court case is prolonging the inevitable cancellation that he’s facing from probably most if not all his fans, myself included. Good actor or not, sexual assault isn’t a misdemeanor nor a felony that I want to downplay. He leaves behind a huge drama collection (including a few movies) that will be sad to put into the never rewatch again pile. Starting from his breakout role in daily drama Be Strong Geum Soon (fantastic drama, really) into iconic roles in Hong Gil Dong and Capital Scandal, and more modern fare with Coffee House and Lie to Me, his was a diverse and varied resume. Which was his old dramas will you be saddest to know can’t be rewatched? For me obviously it’s Lie to Me, sigh, so much sigh.
Be Strong Geum Soon
Fireworks
90 Days, Falling in Love
Capital Scandal
Hong Gil Dong
Coffee House
Lie to Me
Big Man
Monster
Feel Good to Die.
And other notable works also include: Incarnation of Money, Children of a Lesser God, Rough Cut, 7th Level Civil Servant, and Runway Cop.
For me it is sad not to be able to watch him anymore. I liked him in Lie to me, Capital scandal and recent Feel good to die, movie Rynway cop and My girlfriend is an agent. I had still to watch some of his works..not anymore.
I’ve never thought that koala who is quick to ‘cancel’ will write an exclusive article about a convicted rapist. ?
Atleast put his handcuffed picture it’s not like he had died. There is nothing to regret about the dramas. They don’t form reality of your life. Infact it’s good that they they are getting lost from your life.
But there are women who had faced the reality of this person or other men of power and fame. Let’s mourn for them. Let us also be sensitive to the past survivors of sexual harrasment who may be visiting this site.
This is a good and necessary comment. It’s one thing to feel sad that these dramas are now tainted for you, but a little…. insensitive (?) to make a post ‘mourning’ the now-tainted filmography of a rapist and your inability to view those dramas and films without guilt again.
Imagine if someone did something like this for those Hollywood producers, directors and actors who were exposed by #metoo? We would call them insensitive too. Yes, it’s koala’s own blog but when you have a platform that’s this big and public, you also have some responsibility to think before you put out a post all about a self-admitted rapist’s work. And weren’t his victims staff members too?
I think this post was totally unnecessary. It’s obvious that anybody with a conscience would not think of rewatching his old dramas. It’s not like not being able to watch a few dramas is a real loss. A normal person wouldn’t even think this in that direction.
Best thing is to not to mention such vermins again.
Koala used to take firm stand against past sexual harrasers so I wonder why did she change her tone? I also wonder if she has enough time to rewatch such old and mediocre dramas.
I think that’s necessary to mention this kind of people . Why ? To not forget that celeb’s are not perfect humans . Among them they are criminals too.
Now there is the other problem : When we are watching a drama, a movie, …are we watching the character of the story or the actor ? If it’s the actor then it’s normal to ditch his works if it’s the character ??? Perso, i can’t but i’m not condening people who can still . But i’m still listening M Jackson because for me he doesn’t own his songs. They are part of the history of pop culture.
I think that what happens when your ultimate bias turns out to be a shitty individual. I really think she’s such a KJH fan before that she needed to have this last write-up for him to finally end it.
thank you for this comment, I was shocked too, I mean it’s basically an homage to a rapist
Yes it seems this way. I’m even more appaled by the reactions of fangirls who are ‘sad’ because they won’t be able to see him anymore.
On the other hand I’m sad that there is one more person who didn’t know how to be a good human being.?
I agree. I can not understand why go down memory lane for a person who brought such awful pain, awful trauma to two women and ruined their lives. So disturbing!
She was a big fan of KJH and this probably her only platform to bid adieu to someone she adored for so many years. It’s really tiring having to explain why you are doing this for whatever your personal reason and knowing well clear that you bear no ill intention just because people are too sensitive and just too quick to judge simply because your thoughts not in line with them. Chill out.
This is an insensitive comment, and it shows that you’ve never been placed into a difficult position by an artist whose work you loved. The reason Koala is mourning is that these things made her happy, but must now be set aside. His crime was unthinkable. That doesn’t change the fact that at one point, before his true face was revealed, his job was to make people happy. You’re blaming a former fan for being confused and hurt rather than the person who committed the crime. It’s hard to look back at things that gave you comfort and know a monster participated in them.
Yeah. What is this with the remembrance stuff. He’s a rapist and off all his things go past and present dramas. Is Koala getting paid for such stuff?…This blog used to be so much sharper and ethical.
I think it’s her own personal feeling for him. She’s such a fan. Following him in every drama he’s ever done. And to be rewarded by being a lousy and inhumane individual. I see her regrets through the article.
That’s not going to stop me rewatching his old dramas. Lot of people worked hard on making them and I can differentiate between acting and real life.
My thoughts exactly.
I will probably rewatch some of the dramas too. They are fantasy and he is not the only actor in them. He has done a very evil thing. Who knows what he has done before? But these dramas are part of Kdrama history and just because a person/actor becomes a criminal that doesn’t mean I need to stop watching any drama he or she was in. I say so long and good riddance to this actor and pray that he truly gets sentenced to prison for a very long time. I also pray for his victims and that they would not be treated badly but that people will lift them up and help them. Koala has a right to express her opinion just as every other person commenting does. Do what you want, watch or not watch what you want. But don’t make others pay for his crimes. The other actors and actresses don’t deserve to be forgotten just because of him.
No offense meant but he isn’t dead due to some unfortunate tragic circumstances or dying from same reason but his career is over and he will spend some time in prison and then a lifetime in anonymity because he committed not just any criminal act but he raped and more importantly he confessed to raping people. of course others can still watch the series and movies with him in it. One man alone doesn’t negate the effort of all but to write a remembrance like so lovingly to this admitted rapist and dedicated to him alone is almost so…on another level of devotion. Can we differentiate between the rapist criminal and the great actor? Can we lovingly choose our favourite performance of his and compliment him as an actor and yet vilify him for his personal life? And not just any personal life, something he will be doing time in a jail for something heinous. I find this article weird but to each his of her own. I mean the first part condemns and yet the second part names his best work. Just weird.
I was never into him so I have never watched any of his drama.
Because of Yoon Eun Hye, I tried to watch Lie To Me back when it first came out. Dropped it after 1st episode because this guy’s voice was so annoying and his face really irked me.
YES, his voice is weirdly high and nasal and I always found it a bit unpleasant to listen to.
Speaking of YEH, it’s ironic to see how almost all her leading men except for Gong Yoo have been in major scandals but it took sexual assault scandals to end Yoochun and KJH while she was basically exiled from the Korean industry over some so-called ‘plagiarism’ of a dress.
I think it is the human condition to have a process to let it go so to speak. This blogger has never been the fangirl letting oppa get away with bad behavior so if she wants to write about someone whose productions she’s obviously enjoyed over the years, so be it. In a world where people we enjoy or admire are found to be more imperfect than imagined to godawful nasty to criminal, we can all find ourselves going, “Oh not him/her” even as we accept…yep even him/her.
I kinda learned this a bit when Park Yoo Chun (I think that is the name) got busted getting it on with escorts in clubs and wasn’t smart enough to pay the bill (or assaulted them..it’s never been clear to me.) Someone on a fansite was a huge noona fan. She totally believed the allegations but this guy was someone who had given her joy in downtimes and through struggles so she didn’t excuse the bad behavior, was sympathetic to the women but she’s allowed to be disappointed at the same time. And this before all the drug stuff….
In the celebrity world, for me, it is Michael Caine, Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Park Min Young, Lee Joon Gi and Taemin. Why? Because they seem decent and grounded in a crazy celebrity world.
My Girlfriend is an Agent, Rough Cut, Capital Scandal, Hong Gil Dong. Coffee House had a few epic comedy scenes. He was so talented and threw it all away. What can you say?
Him being an inhumane POS in real life will probably not effect my choice of rewatching old favorites or watching some of his past work although I can understand why it will for some. Maybe it’s because I don’t follow celebrities individually in their real lives but rather the works themselves that I don’t get a gut reaction to seeing a particular actor who is a shitty person in real life on screen. I can separate real life from fantasy since I am not a fan per se of individual actors themselves. Also a lot of people participated in those dramas and movies, with some of the other actors displaying some of their best work so even if I don’t like KJH the person anymore I will probably still watch the work but that is just me.
I have not seen any of his products but I think I will watch coffee house. 🙂
Hi koala, I am not going to remove my adblock on your site unless you make it secure ( https)
How many women did he allegedly rape? You are calling him a rapist as if he does it often. Entertainment vs real life, there is a huge difference. This blogger is simply writing columns you and I read. It is an opinion.Judgemental people are the reason there is so much hate.
How many women does one need to rape to be called a “rapist”? Duh!!!!! RoMEL…
This is commentator simply righting comments.This is an opinion. Judgemental people like you are the reason there are so many guilfree criminals.?
Writing comments.
@belinda
Oopsie!
Cancelling “Hong Gil Dong” will be impossible for me, as I am Jang Keun Suk’s fan and also love Hong sisiters’ works.
But anyway -I will rewatch only other actors’s parts.
people tend to forget that a drama or a movie is not just one person but a lot of other actors and crew that worked hard . It’s ubfair for them but at the same time i can understand people who can’t even it jeopardize the works of the actors as Jang Keun Suk( good actor), Han Ji Min, Yoon Eun HYe, …. For me it was more hard with kevin Spacey’s case as he is a great actor with a lot of major movies “Usual Suspects” of Bryan Singer !!! LA confidential,Seven,…
Honestly I don’t punish the dramas! Why punish the dramas is not like they did something?? I will still watch them if I liked them is the person that made a mistake or crime not the dramas lol
Nobody is forcing you to punish his dramas but contentious posts like this which are are not welcome.
It seems that I understand the sentiment behind this post. I’d be devastated if and actor I’m a fan of (Tonly Leung Chiu Wai, long time hard fan) turned out to be a rapist. It is a terrible feeling.
I always thought Kang Ji Hwan a very talented actor and despite not being a fan I loved Capital Scandal, Be Strong Geum Soon and Hong Gil Dong (I have not watched other dramas in the list). Even not being a fan I’m sad that I’ll never will be able to enjoy Capital Scandal or any of his dramas. Maybe one should separate the artist from his private life but I can’t seem to do that.
So a post of farewell seems to be a good idea.
Be strong Geum Soon was one of my most favourite dramas (possibly in the top 10), and I have been a long-time fan of Kang Ji Hwan since 2006. What a horrid man who left behind well-loved dramas I could never watch again… I feel deeply sorry to the women he assaulted, but also feel for those of us who used to love and appreciate his work. Such a shame. Such a waste.
No matter what…..he is still my favorite korean actor.
Ihave just afew comments on khi hwan he!s agood actor coz even thou Im a little bit old but I really appreciate his acting,ins pite of his wrongdoings he is just like us a human being, why should we make him like suffer some comments that make him more sad and pityful ? Are we all perfect human beings? We are all sinners and the way we said something bad about him, will not help him repent. How about praying for him so that he can make himself be a good person onthe future years to come, God bless you! Just pray kang hji hwan God will be watching you !