Seo Ye-ji Snaps at Mention of Ex-Boyfriend Kim Jung-hyun: “That Name is Forbidden”
Actress Seo Ye-ji has been gradually becoming more active on social media platforms after a long period of staying out of the spotlight.
On April 16, Seo Ye-ji shared playful, captionless photos on her channel, showcasing her choppy bangs and enjoying spring by the Han River.
On April 17, Seo Ye-ji communicated with fans through a paid messaging platform. During the interaction, when a fan mentioned her ex-boyfriend by saying, “Just thinking of Kim Jung-hyun or Park Jung-hyun makes me furious,” Seo Ye-ji replied bluntly, “That name is forbidden. It’s stressful,” clearly expressing discomfort.
When another fan commented, “But wasn’t the first take a bit too stiff?” Seo Ye-ji responded casually, “Hey, firm. That’s banned too,” addressing the past “rigid” controversy with a touch of humor.
Seo Ye-ji recently began interacting with fans via a paid platform, where she also shared a meme using Chinese characters that sound similar to curse words. In response to fans urging her to ignore hurtful comments, she sent a wordplay image explaining, “It’s time to purify hateful emotions,” using characters meaning “clear (아), hate (오), time (시), control (발).” She added, “When I get angry, I read things like this to myself,” sharing more characters like “bury (매), peaceful (일), reach (지), lively (랄).”
Back in 2021, Seo Ye-ji was accused of gaslighting her ex-boyfriend Kim Jung-hyun. In 2018, during the press conference for the drama Time, Kim Jung-hyun sparked controversy for refusing co-star Seohyun’s gesture of linking arms and remaining stone-faced throughout the event. Initially, it was believed Kim Jung-hyun was struggling due to his deep immersion in a terminally ill role, reportedly suffering from eating and sleeping disorders. However, three years later, reports emerged alleging Seo Ye-ji was behind his behavior.
At the time, Seo Ye-ji — then Kim Jung-hyun’s girlfriend — allegedly referred to him as “Kim-ttak-ttak” (a nickname mocking his stiff demeanor) and ordered him to remove all physical contact and romantic scenes with Seohyun, even prohibiting him from speaking to female staff members. Kim Jung-hyun’s later-known demands to rewrite scripts and refusal to engage in any physical interaction on set caused a major backlash.
After a long hiatus, Seo Ye-ji recently marked her comeback through SNL Korea Season 7 on Coupang Play. In the opening segment, she confidently declared, “I’ll gaslight the entire crew to make things fun,” addressing past controversies head-on. During a skit in a beauty salon, when cast member Kim Won-hoon commented that his neck felt stiff, Seo Ye-ji cheekily corrected him, saying, “It’s firm,” once again referencing the “ttak-ttak” scandal.