DOCTORFRIENDS Faces Backlash for Using Kim Soo-hyun’s Photo Amid Controversy, Issues Explanation and Apology

On March 12, the DOCTORFRIENDS YouTube channel shared a post stating, “If you’re craving ramen, try wrapping it in perilla leaves along with meat.”

Doctor Friends is a popular channel run by three doctors, internal medicine specialist Woo Chang-yoon, otolaryngologist Lee Nak-joon, and psychiatrist Oh Jin-seung, with 1.33 million subscribers. Woo Chang-yoon, who originally made the post, explained his reasoning behind it, “My wife is a fan of Kim Soo-hyun, and while we were watching together, I found the way he ate the wrap impressive, so I decided to share it.” Along with his post, he included a viral clip of Kim Soo-hyun eating perilla leaf wraps in the show “Good Day.”

However, the timing of this post quickly sparked controversy. Kim Soo-hyun is currently facing allegations of being in a relationship with a minor, which has placed him under intense public scrutiny.

Following the backlash, Woo Chang-yoon swiftly deleted the post and issued a formal apology on the channel’s community page on March 13. In his statement, he wrote, “I sincerely apologize to those who felt uncomfortable seeing a familiar name amid this unpleasant controversy. I have no relationship with the actor in question, nor do I intend to defend him. Furthermore, I firmly believe that certain actions, ones I refuse to even mention, constitute a crime.”

Expecting doubts about his lack of awareness regarding the controversy, Woo provided a detailed breakdown of the events leading up to the post.

“My wife, who is usually busy with childcare and work, watched ‘Good Day’ last weekend. On Monday afternoon, she sent me a DM with an Instagram post from the show featuring ramen wrapped in perilla leaves, asking if I could include it in my Threads diet content. Since I enjoy wraps, especially perilla leaves, she thought it would be a great idea. However, that same day, I was on duty at the hospital from the afternoon until the next morning, leaving me completely occupied,” he explained.

He went on to elaborate, “On Tuesday morning, after my shift, I had to take my eldest child to a hospital appointment. I was busy arranging a surgery date, taking my child to kindergarten, and having an early lunch. Around noon, when I returned home, I remembered my wife’s DM from the day before. We discussed the perilla leaf wrap from Good Day, and she sent me a screenshot from the show via KakaoTalk. I then created the post for Threads, adding the screenshot.”

Woo emphasized that both he and his wife were unaware of the controversy at the time, “Neither my wife nor I were aware of the controversy surrounding the actor when we uploaded the content. It was just another diet-related post, like the ones I usually share. After uploading the post, I carried on with my scheduled live session and other work, only learning about the controversy later that day. As soon as I realized the issue, I deleted the post and posted an explanation on Threads to clarify that I had no prior knowledge of the situation.”

Despite his explanation, criticism persisted. Woo voiced his concerns about the toll this has taken on his family, especially his wife, “My family is struggling, especially my wife, who is deeply affected. Even though I keep telling her not to blame herself since I wrote the post, she keeps reading the comments and feeling heartbroken. To clear any misunderstandings, I am sharing screenshots of our previous DM and KakaoTalk messages.”

He concluded by stating that he would not address the issue further, “This will be my final statement on this controversy. Moving forward, I will return to posting meaningful content focused on health and wellness, just as I did before.”

Meanwhile, on March 10, the late Kim Sae-ron’s family alleged through the Garo Sero Research Institute that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron for six years, from when she was 15 until she turned 21. Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, has strongly denied the accusations, calling them “intolerable falsehoods.”

However, recently surfaced evidence, including text messages from Kim Sae-ron to Kim Soo-hyun, a photo of him kissing her on the cheek, and handwritten letters he sent her during his military service—has intensified public outrage. If these claims are proven to be true, they would constitute grooming behavior, sparking widespread condemnation.

Following the compelling evidence presented by Garo Sero Research Institute and the family of the late Kim Sae-ron, on March 14, Gold Medalist officially released a statement defending Kim Soo-hyun and firmly denying all allegations, as well as the previously disclosed information.

With tensions escalating and public scrutiny intensifying, this controversy remains far from over.