Lee Jong-suk and Park Seo-joon were both once the nation’s heartthrobs in the K-drama industry. The two actors born in the 1980s had striking images and prominent works. While Lee Jong-suk starred in “W”, “Big Mouth”, “While You Were Sleeping”, “Pinocchio” and others, Park Seo-joon made waves with “Itaewon Class”, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, “Fight For My Way”, among others. However, both actors now have one thing in common: their careers are fading due to attitude controversies.
Lee Jong-suk’s Downfall – Offending a “Big Gun”, Disappearing from Screens for 2 Years
Compared to its peak, IU’s boyfriend’s career is in a worrying state. After the success of “Big Mouth” (July 2022), the actor has not undertaken any new projects. In a competitive industry like entertainment, a two-year absence from the screen shows a significant decline in his appeal.
The number of endorsement and ambassadorship deals for Lee Jong-suk also shocked the public, as it currently stands at a big zero. After ending his contract with Prada in 2021, the actor has not signed any further deals with luxury brands. He only attends occasional events and does photoshoots for some brands. This is surprising, given that Lee Jong-suk has several valuable commercial traits: good looks, high status, and an Instagram account with 26.6 million followers, which puts him at the top among actors.
So what led to this?
According to TV Report, the reason is that Lee Jong Suk is known to have a “celebrity complex” and a bad reputation in the industry. Due to his bad attitude, the actor has offended the “big” Netflix. Lee Jong-suk was invited to star in Netflix’s “See You Again” in 2018. However, just a day before the official script reading in May 2018, he abruptly withdrew from the project. This forced the cancellation of “See You Again”, with Netflix issuing a short statement: “Things didn’t go as planned, so we had to change our approach.“. Since then, Netflix has blacklisted Lee Jong-suk, preventing him from being cast in any more productions.
Industry insiders revealed that Lee Jong-suk demanded unreasonable compensation for his role in “See You Again.” When Netflix refused to meet his financial demands, the actor canceled his participation, causing considerable inconvenience to the platform, even losing money and credibility after already heavily promoting the project. The whistleblower added that they lost their jobs due to Lee Jong-suk’s reckless behavior.
The actor was also accused of delaying his confirmation for roles in “Come and Hug Me” and “The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion” for a long time, causing difficulties for all parties involved. Yet, despite all this, the actor never apologized or took responsibility for his actions. This tarnished Lee Jong-suk’s reputation in the industry, leaving many reluctant to work with him.
Park Seo-soon Loses Fan Support After Series of Attitude Scandals
Park Seo-soon’s situation is not as dire as Lee Jong-suk’s, but his career is also in decline. In August, Park Seo-joon held three fan meetings in Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka, but there were numerous empty seats in Seoul. His management company only released photos from the fan meetings in Japan, avoiding any photos from the sparsely attended event in Korea. The Seoul fan meeting didn’t even have a hired MC.
After the success of “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” and “Itaewon Class,” Park Seo-joon’s recent works have not been well received. “Dream,” his collaboration with IU, was criticized for being boring and wordy. “Gyeongseong Creature,” a big-budget film with a production cost of 70 billion won (about $53.5 million), faced harsh criticism for its poor storytelling and unappealing characters and creatures.
Not to mention “The Marvels”, Park Seo-joon’s Hollywood debut, which left Korean audiences disappointed. Despite the anticipation for his appearance, he only had about 3 minutes of screen time, with a comic role and an unremarkable performance.
In 2023, Park Seo-joon unexpectedly ranked fifth on a list of Korean stars with the worst attitudes, as voted by journalists. He was included in this list due to his unprofessional behavior. Some journalists claimed that Park Seo-joon displayed inappropriate conduct during the press conference for “Concrete Utopia.” While promoting the film, the actor sparked controversy by refusing to wear a headband given by fans, leaving his co-star Park Bo-young visibly surprised. Additionally, several journalists accused him of having a celebrity complex, being close only to powerful directors and producers.
Although Park Seo-joon has spoken out about his attitude scandals, it is clear that his once-impeccable reputation and image are deteriorating in the public eye. This is evident from the fact that Korean fans have turned their backs on him, refusing to support his fan meeting events.
There is no place for demanding stars in K-biz!
Due to the deep influence of Confucianism, Korea is known for its strong emphasis on respect, manners, and hierarchy. K-biz especially values humility and proper behavior, even among the most famous stars.
Courtesy and modesty are among the highest standards in Korean entertainment. If a celebrity shows signs of improper conduct, they will be publicly criticized for years to come. Some examples of stars who have lost their shine include Han Ye-seul, Red Velvet’s Irene, and Lee Da-hae.
At first glance, stars seem powerful, rich, and adored by millions. However, in reality, it is the directors and screenwriters who hold the real power within a production. In fact, screenwriters can sometimes be positioned above directors, holding the final control, especially when it comes to casting actors. If they do not improve their attitudes, it is very likely that Lee Jong-suk and Park Seo-joon will follow in the footsteps of those who have lost their fame and status.
Source: K14
