South Korean actor Ji Chang Wook's agency has apologized for the controversial indoor smoking scene during drama rehearsals Welcome to Samdal Re. The behind-the-scenes clip released by JTBC included a specific moment from the set that showed Ji Chang Wook smoking an e-cigarette indoors while rehearsing his lines with his fellow actors.
Smoking indoors is illegal in certain areas in South Korea, and thus received significant backlash from netizens. The clip was removed from the video due to South Korean regulations.
Meanwhile, netizens expressed their disdain for the Korean online forum, Thiko An anonymous user wrote:
“What's wrong with this industry?”: Netizens are angry to see Ji Chang Wook smoking inside the house in front of the actors and staff
On February 10, 2024, a video surfaced on Korean internet forums purporting to show popular South Korean star Ji Chang Wook using an electronic cigarette (vape) indoors.
The now-removed video showed the actor sitting among his co-stars Shin Hye Sun, Lee Jae Won, and Bae Myung Jin, at a table during a rehearsal session for JTBC's latest drama. Welcome to Smald Re. In addition, the production and filming crew were also present.
In a message posted on their official website immediately afterwards, Ji Chang Wook's management company (Spring Company) expressed deep regret over the actor's actions and public behavior.
The agency apologized for Ji Chang Wook's actions violating South Korea's indoor smoking laws and angering fans and netizens.
In the letter uploaded to the agency's website, Spring wrote:
“Hello, this is Spring Company. We would like to apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable due to actor Ji Chang-wook’s actions in the drama making content released on January 26. Among the production content, a scene was included where actor Ji Chang-” Wok electronic cigarette inside. This inappropriate scene disturbed those who witnessed it. Actor Ji Chang Wook also admitted that this was inappropriate behavior and he is sorry.”
They promised to ensure that the incident would never happen again, writing:
“Once again, we sincerely apologize to those who accessed the content, the staff and performers on set, and the viewers who loved the work. Through this incident, we will pay special attention to ensuring that inappropriate behavior is not repeated.”
According to South Korea's smoking regulations, smoking is prohibited in many locations: office buildings, multi-purpose buildings, and factories with an area of more than 1,000 square meters (where foyers, conference rooms, lecture halls, and offices must be smoke-free).
According to Section 20-2 of the Multifamily Housing Administration Act in South Korea, residents of multifamily housing complexes, such as apartments, prohibit individuals from smoking inside the home, thus endangering other residents.
The law also stipulates that any person harmed by passive smoking may request the building manager to prevent the person concerned from smoking.
Article 9 of the National Health Promotion Law stipulates that with the consent of half of the households, parts of the lobby, stairs, elevator and underground parking may be designated as non-smoking areas.
The Korea Herald reported in 2022 that there is now no specific law prohibiting anyone from smoking or using e-cigarettes inside their home.
However, netizens were outraged when they saw one of their beloved actors breaking the law and ignoring the safety of others in the room. They criticized Ji Chang Wook and expressed their disdain after seeing him smoking e-cigarettes indoors. Netizens wrote on the Korean online platform:
GTBC Drama Welcome to Samdal Re Starring Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun, the series aired on December 2, 2023, and ended on January 21, 2024. The series is available on Netflix for global streaming.
