Han So-hee's agency responds after French art university acceptance claims raise suspicions online

South Korean actress Han So-hee made headlines in early 2024 for her statement about being admitted to a French art university but failing to arrange for a visa. Previously, on January 14, 2024, the actress appeared on a YouTube chat show with Gyeongseong Creature co-star Park Seo-joon, where she discussed her humble beginnings before debuting as a model.

However, several netizens suspected the actress of playing foul with her narrative. Rumors circulated online that Han So-hee had made false statements about her admission to France's art university.

However, on Thursday, May 2, 2024, the actress's agency, 9ato Entertainment, confirmed that she was indeed accepted to a French art university before she entered the entertainment industry at the age of 25.

“It is true that she was accepted. The facts that Han So-hee said on her broadcast about being accepted to a French school are all true. However, it is difficult to reveal specific details as they are personal," the agency said in its statement (as reported by Sports Donga)

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Han So-hee addresses hate comments directly and posts about it online

Han So-hee and Park Seo-joon made an appearance on Nah Yung Suk aka Na PD's YouTube channel in January 2024 to discuss their Netflix drama, Gyeongseong Creature. During the show, the My Name actress talked about her background and how she got into the entertainment business. She mentioned working part-time jobs for 12 hours a day and earning 1.8 million won (approximately 1,343 USD) per day.

In the same video, she admitted that she planned to attend school in France but couldn't afford the visa and tuition fees. She also stated that in order to obtain a visa, she needed to deposit 60 million KRW (approximately 44,645 USD) in her bank account. However, at the time, she did not own 60 million KRW because she worked several part-time jobs to survive in Seoul.

"The policy was because there were a lot of illegal immigrants. So when you go study abroad, you must submit proof of your bank balance," she said (as auto-translated by YouTube)

Furthermore, the 29-year-old stated that she was offered a TV commercial gig for Ritz Crackers to help pay for her tuition, for which she was paid 20 million KRW (15,000 USD).

However, a YouTuber (@유장선배_Yujangseonbae) raised concerns, pointing out that the process for obtaining a visa and enrolling in a French school differs from what Han So-hee pointed out. They explained that it makes no difference in France what kind of school one is accepted into. To obtain a student visa, one has to show that they have 9.6 million KRW (7,142.49 USD) as per the Korean embassy's official website in France.

To garner attention, a netizen uploaded a social media post with Han So-hee personally addressing the rumors. Later, on April 26, the Gyeongseong Creature actress posted a direct message (DM) she exchanged with a commenter on her Instagram story.

The South Korean actress was threatened by the particular netizen, who said that if she blocked them on social media, they would disclose the screenshots on Nate Pann (an online Korean forum) and propagate false information about her.

"If you block me this time, I will capture everything and post it on YouTube and Nate," the Instagram user said (as posted on Nate Pann)

The Soundtrack actress addressed the person via direct message and asked why they were doing this. Han So-hee apologized online and asked the person to "stop." Later, the actress shared screenshots of the chat on her Instagram story.

"Why are you doing this? If I caused a lot of harm to your life, I apologize. But I just want to talk from person to person. Do you know you're also being criticized because of those posts? Stop it. You're hurting both of us," Han So-hee wrote (as reported and translated by Allkpop)

Upon receiving a response from the actress, the perpetrator immediately changed their stance and wrote back that they were cheering and rooting for her. Online users read all this in the screenshots posted by Han So-hee and expressed their concern for the actress, lashing out at the individual for threatening her.

Following her agency, 9ato Entertainment's confirmation on Thursday, the online discourse took a major turn in her favor. Netizens expressed their support for the actress and condemned those who attempted to harass her online.