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On Tuesday, February 18, Park Sung-hyun, one of the alleged victims of P1Harmony's Keeho's mother's fraudulent acts, released an apology statement. Previously, on March 20, 2024, Xports News held a one-on-one interview with the alleged victim.
In the interview, Park claimed that he had suffered a loss of 1.1 billion KRW due to Keeho's mother's violation of the Act on the Regulation of Fund-Raising Business Without Permissions. The idol's mother was also accused of affecting at least 10 other people through her fraudulent acts, causing a total damage of over 30 billion KRW.
In his interview with Xports News, Park Sung-hyun not only called out Keeho's mother but also pulled the idol into the controversy. The victim also demanded an explanation from FNC Entertainment, the idol's agency, regarding the fraud. Park mentioned the following names in relation to the alleged fraud:
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"Mr. B, the senior pastor of Toronto Connect Church/ Toronto Exchange Student Missionary Church (TISM), the mastermind behind all the incidents, Ms. A (Keeho's mother), and their son, the leader of FNC's P1Harmony, Yoon Keeho."
However, on February 18, he apologized for the same. He explained through an Instagram story that he was too emotional with his previous actions and apologized for dragging Keeho into the controversy despite the lack of the idol's direct relation to the fraud. Here's part of his statement as translated by @p1hits:
"Looking back, I realise that you couldn’t have known much about the incident, yet you sincerely expressed an apology and tried to find a solution for the damage, even though you weren’t involved. It’s true that I only thought about my own situation. Once again, I think I misunderstood your intentions, even though it wasn’t your fault. I feel indescribably sorry towards you."
However, while fans and netizens were happy about the apology, they were still upset about the inevitable damage it had already caused to the idol's public image. Here are a few fan reactions regarding the same:
"it’s good he apologized and recognized he took his anger/frustration out on the wrong person but unfortunately damage is done"
"Nah i felt sorry of the victim but i cant forgive him for putting kyo in such a situation just becus u are frustrated." said a fan on X
"I understand his frustrations with what happened to him but He put Keeho in a very difficult position… and although he apologized, Keeho faced a lot of backlash for this incident." commented a netizen
More fans and netizens talked about how the idol should've never been put in the situation to begin with.
"i feel like the damage has alr been done" stated a fan
"Kee ho should’ve never been brought up to begin with. The poor kid didn’t have any involvement and was the only one who acted mature in this situation." added an X user
"I'm glad they apologized but I fear the damage has been done! Now I fear they (mean people and mean netizens) are gonna use this to attack Keeho, Yechan and their respective groups" said a netizen
"oh brother. kee ho’s name should’ve never been brought up. acting childish asf when the problem lies between two elders." commented another X user
FNC Entertainment releases statement warning legal action against those involving P1Harmony's Keeho in the controversy surrounding his mother's alleged fraudulent acts
In March 2024, P1Harmony's Keeho's mother was accused of fraud and violating the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-Raising Business without Permission. Soon, FNC Entertainment released a statement expressing that they couldn't take a stance regarding the same since was a personal matter that involved the idol and his mother.
Regardless, the agency also announced that it will be taking legal action against those who choose to spread misinformation regarding this matter. Most recently, on February 2, an anonymous alleged victim was seen protesting in front of FNC Entertainment, directing more attention to the matter.
Following the revival of the controversy and Park Sung-hyun's statements, FNC Entertainment released a response to the issue on February 17. They reiterated that the idol was not related to the ongoing accusations. Therefore, the agency was not happy with the continued use of the idol's name in regard to his mother's controversy. Here's what the statement read:
"Keeho is completely unrelated to this incident and was entirely unaware of how the situation had been handled up until now. Despite this, his name has been mentioned multiple times on the victim’s social media. Regarding this, the victim has since clarified the misunderstanding and expressed an apology to the artist."
The statement continued:
"However, if the investigation reveals any wrongdoing on the part of his mother, she will, of course, take full legal responsibility. Separately, as a son, he feels deep regret toward the affected party and will do his utmost to help resolve the matter."
They concluded their statement by requesting fans and netizens to refrain from spreading baseless rumors and directing harmful attacks toward the idol.
