“He had the image saved in his phone”— Internet reacts to BH Entertainment’s response to Park Sung-hoon’s explicit Squid Game parody Instagram post

On December 30, 2024, South Korean media outlet Newsen reported that actor Park Sung-hoon had uploaded a parody AV cover related to Squid Game on his personal Instagram account. The post, which featured explicit visuals portraying bare bodies, was quickly deleted but not before it caused significant controversy online.

In response to the backlash, the actor's agency, BH Entertainment, issued a statement clarifying that the upload was unintentional. According to the agency, Park had been overwhelmed by a large number of direct messages (DMs) on his account and accidentally posted the image while attempting to check them.

They added that the actor was deeply shocked by the incident and sincerely apologized for the mistake. The statement read:

"Park Sung-hoon was receiving too many DMs (direct messages) on his social media, and he accidentally uploaded it while checking the DMs. The actor himself was very surprised, and he is very sorry for making such a mistake in these times."

Despite this clarification, the controversy escalated as screenshots of the deleted post spread across online platforms, with some finding the agency's explanation unconvincing. An X user, @calculaturtle2, wrote:

"Idk how this is supposed to help cause this just confirms he had the image saved in his phone lol."

Many netizens expressed that the agency's vague explanation seemed like an attempt to cover up the artist's actions. Others argued that claiming a hacking incident would have been a more plausible excuse.

"bh ent trying so hard to protect these problematic actors its disgusting," a netizen wrote.

"The most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever seen," a user added on X.

"They should have gone with the he was hacked excuse," a person remarked.

"assuming that's true for what reason would this f*cker save the picture ???? these men and their companies really," an X user commented.

Others remarked that the fact Park Sung-hoon viewed and saved the image on his phone was unacceptable and labeled him as inappropriate.

"The thing is, he looked at it and has it saved on his phone. He is Filthy," a person wrote.

"Do they think we are dumb ? Posting on insta is a step wise process. It's not a single click like writing a comment. Also what he uploaded was a pic he saved in his gallery lmao," an X user mentioned.

"i’ve never commented on this but bh entertainment is really the worst WORST company ever. founded by the worst people, employing the worst people and protecting them with all their might," a netizen commented.

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More about Squid Game 2 star Park Sung-hoon and his role in the series

Park Sung-hoon is a South Korean actor with a career spanning over a decade. He made his acting debut in the film A Frozen Flower (2008). Over the years, he has delivered remarkable supporting performances in popular dramas like Six Flying Dragons and Three Days. His breakout roles came with the horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) and the family drama My Only One (2018–2019).

More recently, Park Sung-hoon has earned acclaim for his antagonistic roles in hit series such as The Glory and Queen of Tears, showcasing his range as an actor.

The recent controversy follows Park Sung-hoon’s recent appearance in Squid Game season 2, which premiered on Netflix on December 26, 2024. In this season, he played the role of Hyun-joo, a transgender character dealing with financial struggles and dreams of undergoing gender-affirming surgery.

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While his performance in the series has been praised, the recent controversy surrounding his social media activity has overshadowed his achievements and left his agency working to contain the fallout.