‘Pachinko’ Star Jin Ha Apologizes For ‘Inappropriate’ Tumblr Blog Posts
Korean-American actor Jin Ha has apologized for his former Tumblr blog, which featured “inappropriate” captions and images of middle-aged and older Korean women.
Jin Ha, who currently stars as Solomon Baek in Apple TV+’s new K-drama series Pachinkohad uploaded up to 90 photographs of middle-aged and elderly Korean women to his now-deleted blog “Korean Flowers in Bloom” in 2010 and 2011. The blog then began to attract attention after the series premiered the week last.
Many photographs were taken in public spaces like subway stations and streets, with the women’s faces not pixelated. His posts were also often accompanied by overtly sexual captions, as reported Korea timeand had included comments like “working with such a provocative model, I had a hard time keeping control of myself and my lust” and “now we have an excuse to stare directly at her right nipple”.
Over the weekend of March 26, Ha apologized for his blog posts through a statement on his official website. “My ‘Korean Flowers in Bloom’ Tumblr account from 2011 should not have been created at all. It was an invasion of the privacy of older women and many of my captions were inappropriate. I deeply regret my actions and I I apologize,” the actor wrote.
Ha added that he asked Tumblr to delete the account, which was done immediately. “I sincerely apologize to the older women I photographed. I also apologize to the viewers I offended with this Tumblr account,” he said. “My lapse in judgment in 2011 has been pointed out by more discerning readers than me, and I am grateful for that.”
“I will work diligently to learn from this mistake so that I never repeat it in the future,” he concluded. Ha has also since deactivated her social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter.
Prior to PachinkoHa had acted in American TV shows like Developers and Love lifeas well as the musical hamilton.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko tells the story of a fictional Korean immigrant family in Japan spanning four generations through the life of its matriarch, Sunja. Its cast includes well-known stars like Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung and popular actor Lee Min-ho, as well as newcomers like Kim Min-ha.
