Park Sung-hoon’s Acting Career Marred? Replaced by Lee Chae-min in ‘The Tyrant’s Chef’ After Scandal

On January 13, a entertainment industry insider told media outlet Sports Chosun, “Lee Chae-min has been offered the lead role in the new tvN drama ‘The Tyrant’s Chef’ and is positively reviewing it.”

If the actor ultimately decides to take the role, this means he will be replacing Park Sung-hoon, who gave up the project after his personal controversy.

In particular, according to OSEN’s report on the afternoon of January 11, Park Sung Hoon has ultimately decided to leave the new tvN drama “The Tyrant’s Chef,” starring Girls’ Generation’s Yoona and himself, scheduled for release later this year. Broadcasting sources have revealed that after a mutual agreement between the production company and his agency, it was decided that Park Sung Hoon would no longer be part of the project.

Earlier, on January 2, the script reading for the upcoming tvN drama “The Tyrant’s Chef”, which stars Girls’ Generation Yoona and Park Sung-hoon, has been canceled. It is likely that the production of “The Tyrant’s Chef” has been put on hold because of the recent controversy regarding Park Sung-hoon, who plays the male lead, the media outlet claimed.

However, an official from Park Sung Hoon’s agency told TV Daily on the morning of January 2, “The script reading for the new tvN drama ‘The Tyrant’s Chef’ was canceled not because of the recent controversy, but because many schedules were changed due to the period of national mourning. We are perplexed that an article like this came out amidst all this.”

In particular, previously on December 30, Park Sung-hoon uploaded a parody image of “Squid Game” on his personal social media account, featuring an AV (Adult Video) cover concept. Realizing his mistake, Park Sung-hoon quickly deleted the image, but it had already spread widely, and the screenshot was saved and circulated online.

In response, his agency, BH Entertainment, explained, “Park Sung-hoon received a large number of direct messages on his social media, and while checking them, he accidentally uploaded the image.” However, some netizens did not believe the explanation, arguing that he had saved and uploaded the AV photo on purpose.

The vague clarification only fueled the controversy further, leading the agency to release a more detailed statement. They explained that Park Sung-hoon had received the image via DM, realized the potential issue, and intended to send it to his company’s representatives. Unfortunately, during this process, he mistakenly uploaded it to his social media account.

As a result, a momentary lapse in judgment has left a stain on the actor’s otherwise commendable career. Park Sung-hoon made his debut in 2008 with the film “A Frozen Flower,” after which he experienced years of obscurity. In a recent appearance on the talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” he spoke about his struggles during his early acting career. Having lived in a semi-basement apartment for seven years during his school days due to financial hardships, his journey has been far from easy.

Despite enduring such hardships, his career began to turn around after meeting his breakthrough project, the Netflix original series “The Glory,” on December 30, 2022. His portrayal of the school bully Jeon Jae-joon marked a turning point in his career, which was followed by his role as Yoon Eun-sung in the tvN drama “Queen of Tears,” earning him widespread love.

Building a steady career, Park Sung-hoon made his 50th appearance in this year’s “Squid Game 2,” where his performance as a cross-dresser drew attention and praise for his acting transformation. Unfortunately, this unexpected mistake has left a significant stain on his career.

In particular, Park Sung-hoon’s controversy is already impacting his upcoming project. Scheduled to air in 2025, “The Tyrant’s Chef” is a tvN drama based on the web novel “Surviving as Yeonsan-gun’s Chef”, in which Park Sung-hoon is set to star opposite Girls’ Generation member-actress Yoona. Some fans, however, are demanding his removal from the show, citing their inability to immerse themselves in the romance genre due to the male actor’s involvement in the controversy over posting explicit content.

On the other hand, some netizens are defending him, stating, “Driving a personal mistake to the point of removal is excessive”, “Anyone can make mistakes”, “This seems like an overly strict standard and judgment” and “It’s not a big deal; it’s just something for the actor to feel embarrassed about.”