At a cafe in Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul on May 23rd, StarNews had an interview with Ryu Jun-yeol to talk about his new Netflix show “The 8 Show.”
Ryu Jun-yeol has been at the center of controversy over the alleged “transit love” relationship with actress Han So-hee. Regarding this, Ryu said, “Many people criticized me and felt betrayed.” Ryu also mentioned his silence on the issue, “My answer was to be silent (about a series of events),” said, “I have not changed my mind about that resolution. Regardless of my will, I think it was best for many people that I accept the criticism rather than talk about the truth one by one. It was best for me to tell a new story and be silent rather than to elicit another new rumor or speculation.”
He said, “There may be many reasons, but it’s difficult to explain them all,” and added, “I don’t think that’s right. I’ve never thought I’d talk about it after some time, and I think that’s the kind of person I am.”
Ryu has been frank about his “greenwashing” controversy. “Even though I feel that I made rational and correct decisions, I think I am becoming ambitious as a human being,” he said. “After my debut, my thoughts changed, and I became ambitious. On the one hand, I think I tried to get the image of myself that the people who support me and the public have. I believed I was trapped in the image (made for me). I think I was greedy,” he admitted honestly, adding, “I felt it was important to act more carefully and do my best.”
Ryu Jun-yeol came to think about his initial commitment. “Since I was receiving great love after my debut, I thought ‘how can I repay this love’,” he said. “I started working with Greenpeace with the wish that I could do more while traveling and looking at nature,” he said. “At first, I started with a light heart, but I was ambitious as the work grew and received attention from many people. I think this happened because I was ambitious about people’s expectations for me. I think I need to think more carefully from now on. Rather than trying to have a visible image, I will go back to my original intentions.”
