Actor Gong Yoo stated he should have been “more careful” with his words regarding his past comment calling former President Park Chung Hee an “admirable man.” The statement resurfaced after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of emergency martial law late Tuesday night.

Yoon’s declaration began the first instance of martial law in Korea in 45 years. Since Tuesday night's declaration, people have started to bring up Gong Yoo’s past comments made during an interview from 20 years ago.


“Even though a lot of time has passed, if some still find it uncomfortable, I ultimately feel that it was something I should have approached more carefully,” the actor said during an interview with local reporters at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Thursday.

In a 2005 interview with Vogue Girl magazine, the actor was questioned on who he thought were admirable men. He responded, “My father, Michael Jordan and Park Chung Hee,” to the magazine’s question.

Park, who was Korea’s president for 16 years from 1963 to 1979, is one of the most controversial political figures in Korea, with some referring to him as the person who revived the Korean economy and others calling him a "dictator." He declared martial law four times — once during a military coup in 1961 and three times during his presidency. He is also the father of impeached former President Park Geun-hye.

“It wasn’t an in-depth conversation or interview, but a written interview for a fashion magazine,” the actor said, explaining the situation.

“At that time, I was probably in my early to mid-20s, just after I debuted. I didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, and to put it positively, I was quite naive.”

He also shared his perspective, saying, “I've never lived with a wrong sense of history or ethics. That's a clear fact.”

“Since I haven't lived that way and don't think that way, there were parts that were reinterpreted and added through certain communities or aspects, but that wasn't me,” he added. “Personally, it didn't matter much to me because it wasn’t how I saw things.”

The actor also mentioned Tuesday night's martial law declaration to clarify himself.

“Like many others, I was also someone who felt frustrated about the recent event and stayed up watching the live broadcast until the martial law was lifted,” he said.

Yoon declared emergency martial law to eradicate “antistate forces” on Tuesday night. After the declaration, 190 lawmakers gathered at the National Assembly to vote on a motion to lift it. The motion was passed unanimously by lawmakers. Six hours after Yoon’s declaration, the Cabinet approved the motion, ending martial law.

Gong Yoo recently appeared on Netflix’s mystery romance series “The Trunk,” released on Nov. 29.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]