"Am I an Idiot for Supporting the Right?"... Musical Actor Fired for 'Gyeomjiji' Defends Himself

'Controversy Over Martial Law Support' Cha Gang-seok Fired from Lecturer Position
"Are You an Ignorant Fool Who Doesn't Know History If You Support the Right-Wing?"
"I Thought Martial Law Was Declared to Exterminate Spies"

Musical actor Cha Gang-seok, who made a statement saying he "welcomes" President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law, revealed that he was fired from his instructor position and questioned, "Am I an idiot for supporting the right wing?"

On the 6th, Cha Gang-seok posted a lengthy message on his social media account. He began by saying, "I have never thought of being an actor as a great profession, but I am embarrassed and deeply sorry to be in the spotlight during such a regrettable time." He continued, "I was simply someone who made a living by using acting as a skill because I liked showing the prepared performance in front of the audience and those who appreciate my acting." He then bowed his head and said, "I have studied and worked in acting for about 20 years, striving to live without shame, but I sincerely apologize once again to those who may have been hurt or suffered because of me. I am truly sorry."

Musical actor Cha Gang-seok. Instagram

Cha Gang-seok stated, "Like any actor, I have always been a freelancer. It sounds better to say freelancer, but if there is no work, it is basically unemployment." He added, "There were many days I was unemployed, but I lived trying to earn a decent living as a citizen of this country. However, today I was notified of my dismissal from the place where I worked as a contract instructor." He said, "I do not blame anyone. The words I spoke could have hurt someone, and that is my fault." He continued, "I have lived thinking of the actor’s path as that of a messenger, but now I have thought a lot about how to deliver messages. I may be an unknown 'deutbojab' (a nobody nobody has heard or seen) actor who is not famous enough to boast loudly, but I have grown more desire to live delivering messages for those who support me."

He also said, "I am only saddened by the current reality where people do not think about creating a beautiful society that understands differences and coexists, but are instead trapped in totalitarian ideology and fail to respect others. If you support the left, you become a 'kkaesimin' (awakened citizen) or a great actor, but if you support the right, do you become an idiot who does not know history?" He added, "I do not think so. I have no desire to exclude others just because we think differently." Furthermore, he said, "There are many people who keep trying to teach with biased ideology, but this is not your country alone; it is the country of all of us. I hope everyone could look at each other with a little warmer perspective." He continued, "Recently, many spies have been discovered in our country, and should we overlook that? I thought the martial law was declared to root out those forces, but I deeply regret supporting it without fully considering its seriousness and dangers." Finally, he added, "I am one of the citizens who proudly values liberal democracy and the spirit of the democratization movement. I will keep an eye on the news related to allegations of election fraud."

Earlier, on the 4th, Cha Gang-seok stirred controversy by posting on SNS, "There are too many spies. I welcome martial law. Please catch all the spies and execute them." Shortly after the controversy, he explained, "I posted the message with expectations for the eradication of anti-state forces amid the recent sensitive spy issue." He apologized, saying, "I deeply regret using low-level and extreme expressions. I am neither defending President Yoon nor hating you all, so I sincerely ask for your understanding."