A French photo studio has apologized for unintentionally exposing the private life of singer Ok Taec-yeon.

Earlier this month, photographs featuring K-pop singer Ok kneeling in front of a woman in Paris went viral. The pictures were uploaded by The Best Photo Paris in April, showing Ok holding a ring box against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.


The pictures had fans suspecting that Ok had proposed to his girlfriend, a noncelebrity he confirmed he was dating in 2020.

Ok’s agency, 51K, denied the marriage rumors, stating, "Ok took such photos to celebrate his girlfriend's birthday, and there are no plans for marriage yet."

The studio apologized on Thursday, explaining that they had no idea who Ok or the woman was.

“The fact is that we did their session last year, without knowing who they were! Honestly, there was no intention of exposing their lives,” the Instagram post read.

“That is why we posted the photos as we always do with our clients, with no intention of exposing them or gaining visibility for it.”

“We sincerely apologize to the public and their family for this unintentional exposure. We hope everything turns out well,” the post continued.

Ok debuted as a member of the K-pop boy band 2PM in 2008. He is now active as both a singer and an actor, having first starred in the KBS drama series “Cinderella’s Stepsister” in 2010.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]