Joo Ji Hoon finds love, support… just not in Korea
Must admit, I feel sorry for the guy. Especially after seeing recent pictures of him looking like this:
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While the Korean public is still relentless about punishing Joo Ji Hoon for his drug possession charges, the actor is reportedly finding some solace in two books that were sent by his fans in Japan. These books filled with fan signatures expressing encouragement and a promise to continue supporting the actor were sent to Joo Ji Hoon’s agency and reportedly caused the actor to break down in tears. The books were titled respectively, ” You’ve given us so much happiness” and “Now it’s our turn to reciprocate “. Along with strong showing for an online petition titled, “We still trust Joo Ji Hoon”, the actor’s Japanese fans are displaying that the actor’s recent indiscretions have not diminished their love.
Joo Ji Hoon’s popularity in Japan can be explained by the fact that the drama series, “Goong”, which originally aired back in 2006 is still in its third year of reruns in Japan. So much is the popularity that “Goong” has been called the “2nd Winter Sonata”. His recent movie, “Antique Bakery” has also found notable success in Japanese theaters, especially in the major cities.
Joo Ji Hoon’s agency released a statement yesterday saying, ” Joo Ji Hoon is taking full responsibility for his breaking of the law. He will do what is required of him and take on whatever punishment in order to pay his debt to society.”
Sure, his offense is a serious one. But it is not the same thing as if he had been charged of a crime of hurting someone else. This was a guy who one day woke up and became a huge star following what was practically his first acting role and (I’m just guessing this now) didn’t know how to handle his fame, publicity, and all that came along with it. Does that excuse someone from experimenting with drugs? not really. But it is still unbelievable to me that the real disgusting criminals like many of Jang Ja Yeon’s abusers will pretty much get off scott free and remain in total anonymity while a young guy like Joo Ji Hoon will not be given a second chance. Joo Ji Hoon: go and do whatever you need to do to serve your sentence for being a drug abuser. Let’s hope that in the next few years, Korean society will loosen up on minor convicts like you and start going after the real bad guys.
photocredits: newsen, daum
pictures of amy winehouse are still the biggest reason why i wont do drugs, those pictures of him are not that bad
Koreans are so prude about drugs such as pot and think it’s so hardcore, when they drink 10 bottles of soju every week! It’s ridiculous and it’s hypocrisy. I agree that they should go after some real criminals instead of Joo Ji Hoon.
ahh poor jihoon, i agree with sarah!
jihoon fighting!
Sarah
theres a big different between soju and drugs.
Anybody who has drugs as a living or sells drugs are retarded.
Actually the long term health effects of marijuana have proven to be much less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes. The reason marijuana is still illegal is due to a negative stigma that pervades society.
i really feel sorry for the guy =/ its not like he committed a really serious crime like murder. i think those who commit suicide are much worse in my opinion. joo ji hoon deserves a second chance. fighting!
Wasn’t he busted for ecstasy? That’s definitely a hardcore drug. And I don’t think I heard him show any remorse for it, even though he’s supposed to be a role model.
If he actually cried, I hope it’s because he knows he did wrong and therefore the well-wishes hit home for him.
On the other hand if he instead thought he did nothing bad, then he’s just crying over himself getting locked up, not for doing the crime.
I have to say, the Korean public are ruthless. Yeah, Joo Ji Hoom did some minor drugs, and yes he should pay the time. But let’s face it, about every teenager (at least in America) has done as much or worse then him. If it was a regular person, no one would crack down to much on him, but just because he’s a celebrity, it’s as if the sky is falling.
I was slightly dissapointed with his choice, but that does not change the fact that he’s a decent actor who I’ve enjoyed watching and that he probably is a fairly decent person as well.
So I do hope he has a successful comback after he’s served his sentence. And you’re right, the Korean public really do need to start cracking down on the hardcore criminals, instead of minor crackdowns like these.
I am supporting this guy.
“Anybody who has drugs as a living or sells drugs are retarded.”
Well some can say the same about those who drink Alcohol until they pass out in the streets”
I support you too!! Dang…I hope all ends well for him.
Didn’t he say before that he didn’t regret taking the drugs? Well heck, I’d be crying too if I was going to be sent to prison with inmates who are a lot more dangerous (I assume). It’s a hardcore drug…but man..prison time?! That’s like kiddie crime in the USA if you compare it to all the child kidnapping/murders that have ocurred recently….and on irrelevant note [for person who commented above (Stasha)], I don’t think suicide is a crime or anything worse. Those folks are victims who needed help…not evil people. But I don’t want to get into a debate which will probably involve religion.
yeah, many of you say that this is nothing in the states, but for asian countries, doing drugs is a big deal cause it isn’t that common.
and culture wise, you’d expect more from a public figure.
Goodluck to him.
ecstacy is a hardcore drug..?!
i thought it was on the small-medium scale.
now if it was cocaine,ice or heroine then yes it is hardcore.
while i do think theres waay too much attention for this thing, this is korea we are talkin about. sucked in for not going by the rules.
Bless his heart, for realz!! I feel so bad for him. I agree with others who say that it is true that he did something bad, and thus should pay the consequences for it. However, it seems more like a witch hunt than anything else…like a ‘grab your torch and pitchfork’ kind of deal. They are making an example out of this poor guy.
Unfortunately, he broke the law and there is no way out of this situation than to have him make amends for it- jail time, community service, or whatever else they have in store for him.
I just hope that, should he choose to return to the entertainment industry, his career will be able to recover. As a fan, which I consider myself to be, the most that we will be able to do for him is to cheer him on from the sidelines. I hope that he realizes that there are people who still do support him and wish him all of the best.
People make stupid mistakes everyday. I just hope that he is able to pick his head up and keep moving forward.
news about him nowadays makes me sad…but it’s nice to know that Japanese fans support him too.
im glad that he still has a support system
but he did commit a crime, so he’ll have to deal with the consequences =/
wow he looks like he has aged 10 years. I guess they have to punish him harshly to set an example since he’s a celeb- remember Yoo Seung Jun and his deportation? I wish south korea would be as diligent in punishing other, more harmful crimes. I think Joo Ji Hoon’s getting like a year in jail while those who were selling drugs-which is a hundred times worse-only get 5-7 years. I think it would have been better to have JJH do maybe a month or two in jail and then sentence him to picking up trash on the streets or work in a waste management plant for the rest of the year.
i support him. he’s still fine*
SUPPORTER FROM the United States
i feel bad for him but he should have seen consequences coming ._.
I agree w/ asianromance…
anyhoo, I am & will always be a fan of JuJiHoon :)
Best of luck to him.
Hello!!! Just because your favorite actor is going to jail, doesn’t mean that people can just blame everything on the system!
Get this inside your heads…
1. Korea is NOT the United States nor any other Western nation thats easy on drug use. Every country has it’s own laws and regulations that needs to be followed, so people need to stop pushing down other countries leniency about drug use down people’s throat just because their idol is in a bad situation.
2. Military Service is a MANDATORY requirement if you a born as a Korean man, and should not be used a mere “mercy” rule for rehabilitation
3. Being drunk is not an excuse for taking drugs. What a lame excuse.
JJH fighting! <3
[...] talking to a man who thinks drugs should be legal. There are far worse criminals then Joo Ji Hoon. Click Here to see the love his japanese fans are giving [...]
he has talent and a lot of fans so maybe he will recover from this. so many korean celebs have successful careers in japan, at least he might get a second chance there.
I’m not gonna lie, he’s hot so I forgive him because I’m shallow like that -.-
I wanna see him in dramas and movies again……
Korea needs to get off his case for real!
So many of the american artist that koreans love are drug abusers, murders, and sometime…rapist. So he did drugs and had some drugs in his possession SO WHAT?
It’s really becoming pathetic they are ruining his life!
its the same with Chris Brown. that kid made a big mistake. he knows it hell the world knows it and who knows how long theyre going to but that kid behind bars cuz he put his hands on that crazy ass girlfriend of his…the wench is crazy in case yall didnt know.
but anyways I hope that Korea can look past all this after he does whatever that needs to be done and give him another chance.
He’s so talented…it would be such a waste.
Umm. . . . the U.S. drug laws are not lenient, so it’s false to state otherwise. (Just, keep in mind that a great portion of people in serving time in jail are due to minor drug offenses).
And, it is also untrue that Americans disregard drug use as minor vice (as reflected by the harsh punishments put forth by anti-drug laws) and general negative perception among the American public.
Either way, there’s no use comparing. He broke Korean law and he is facing the consequences of breaking those laws. I hope he faces his consequences respectfully and as an adult.
Accept it and pay your dues, Joo Ji-Hoon. I think your second chance is there, your fans support you and even those that aren’t fans, but not antis, rather see you succeed than fail!
All I can say for JJH is to apply for him the saying “To err is human, to forgive is divine…”. Still wish him success in life…As everyone of us wishes on our own…After all, he has also entertained a lot of us all over the world…
JJH made a mistakes, but should be punished accordingly. With support from his fans. He was sentence to jail for 6 months with 1 year probation. Fighting JJH!!!!
JOO JI HOON I SUPPORT YOU!!!!!!!I agree with this article! I STILL LOVE U!
im sad for him…
i rily love him and yoon eun hye in goong.,,
i will support joo ji hoon.,,
from: philippines.