[Full Text] 'Hyena' Production Company: "'Drunk Driving' Hong Gijun's Scenes Edited and Deleted"

Actor Hong Gijun / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Actor Hong Ki-jun, currently appearing in the SBS drama 'Hyena,' has been caught on suspicion of drunk driving. The production company stated, "We have decided to edit and delete Hong Ki-jun's scenes as much as possible."

The 'Hyena' production company released an official statement on the 9th, saying, "Given the high social awareness regarding drunk driving, we judged that it would not be appropriate for the actor's scenes to be broadcast as they are."

The production company explained, "It is proper to reshoot and re-edit entirely, but 'Hyena' was produced in advance and filming is scheduled to conclude on the 18th. The actor had completed filming before this issue arose. Additionally, due to contractual obligations with overseas OTT platforms, some episodes have already been delivered, making it an unavoidable situation."

They added, "We ask for your deep understanding that some scenes may inevitably be broadcast due to the progression of the core story. We will do our best to minimize the actor's scenes so that viewers do not feel discomfort and the flow of the drama is not disrupted."

Earlier, on the 8th, the Songpa Police Station in Seoul announced that Hong Ki-jun was booked without detention on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act.

According to the police, Hong Ki-jun is suspected of driving his vehicle in a drunken state to Machun Intersection in Songpa-gu, Seoul, around 11:20 p.m. on the 7th.

It was reported that Hong Ki-jun fell asleep while waiting at a traffic signal in the driver's seat and was caught by police who responded to a report.

At that time, Hong Ki-jun's blood alcohol concentration was found to be at the level warranting license cancellation.

Below is the official statement from the 'Hyena' production company

We would like to inform you of the position of the drama 'Hyena' production company regarding Mr. Hong Ki-jun.

First, we sincerely apologize to the viewers of 'Hyena' for causing concern.

Upon learning of Mr. Hong Ki-jun's involvement in a drunk driving incident on the 8th, the production company held thorough internal discussions to find the best way to handle the situation.

As a result, considering the heightened social awareness of drunk driving, we judged that it would not be appropriate for the actor's scenes to be broadcast as they are, and decided to edit and delete Mr. Hong Ki-jun's appearances as much as possible.

While reshooting and re-editing would be ideal, 'Hyena' was produced in advance to ensure the drama's quality and overseas export, with filming scheduled to end on March 18.

Moreover, the actor had completed filming before the issue arose, and due to contractual obligations with overseas OTT platforms, some episodes have already been delivered, making it an unavoidable situation.

We ask for your deep understanding that some scenes may inevitably be broadcast due to the progression of the core story.

The production company will do its best to minimize the actor's scenes so that viewers do not feel discomfort and the flow of the drama is not disrupted.

We will strive to repay the viewers with a good work in the future. Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.