Director Hwang Dong-hyuk of the Netflix series Squid Game 2 addressed the casting controversy surrounding TOP, a former member of the group BigBang.
Hwang said, "I’ve heard a lot of criticisms regarding the casting. It seems there are many such opinions in Korea, but the way I saw it, since marijuana is legal in some countries overseas, I thought this issue wouldn't arise."
He continued, "When casting him (Top), I looked into the histories of people who had stopped their careers due to marijuana or similar issues and later made a comeback. Even people who were arrested during the Park Chung-hee administration for marijuana use were able to return to their careers after four years of a ban."
Hwang added, "There were similar cases in the 2000s, and among them were some truly famous individuals. After calculating, I realized that Top's marijuana case was from 6 to 7 years ago, so I thought the public would be somewhat accepting of it, and that’s why I went ahead with the casting."
He confessed, "But after seeing the (negative) reactions, I was surprised. However, I couldn't just suddenly dismiss a friend we'd been preparing with, saying 'You're unforgiven, so you can't be in this.'"
He concluded, "As a director, I said, 'Let's just make a good show and show whether or not you're someone who can be forgiven.' I believe forgiveness from the media and the public will be decided after the work is evaluated, and that's why we’ve come this far."
source: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews…le/008/0005137195?sid=103
original post: here
1. This is Korea you fool
2. This is Korea though??
3. What "surprised"???
4. Then f*ck off to the country where's it's legal and stop the double standard
5. What kind of disease did he catch?
6. You're making a Korean drama though?
7. We really should be boycotting this show
8. Birds of a feather
9. Is TOP a foreigner?
10. What nationality is TOP? Ajussi, I think your ego is way too inflated
