'Mr. Queen' star Na In-woo to replace Ji Soo in 'River Where the Moon Rises' after bullying scandal

Actor Na In-woo became the new lead in the KBS's historical series "River Where the Moon Rises." Courtesy of Cube Entertainment

By Lee Gyu-lee

Actor Na In-woo, who rose to fame with his lead role in tvN's recent hit series "Mr. Queen," will replace Ji Soo in the historical series, "River Where the Moon Rises," after Ji was forced out over a bullying scandal.

Broadcaster KBS announced Friday that Na will take the role of On Dal in the series, a story based on a folk tale about Princess Pyeonggang helping her husband On Dal become an army general.

KBS and its production company, Victory Contents, agreed to remove Ji Soo, 27, who admitted and apologized over his wrongdoings during his middle and high school years, and reshoot 12 episodes of the 20-part series with the new actor despite heavy financial losses.

The series, which already aired six episodes, has so far completed filming 18 episodes.

"We have decided to edit him out of episode seven and eight as much as possible before airing and, from episode nine, the new actor will appear," KBS said. "We sincerely apologize for any problems caused by his bullying scandal … We acknowledge the weight of this issue."

Actor Ji Soo / Courtesy of KBS

The decision comes after Ji publicly apologized Thursday.

"I have no excuses for my past misconduct. Those actions are unforgivable," he wrote, apologizing to those who suffered because of him. "I've come this far trying to bury my past… but I've always had guilt in the back of my mind and the regrets always haunted me."

Last week, a person claimed online that he was one of the victims of Ji's bullying, accusing him of assaulting and extorting money from his classmates. Later, Ji's other schoolmates made additional accusations, claiming his bullying.

Following the accusations, Ji's agency Keyeast Entertainment said Ji will "halt all scheduled activities as an actor and will take time to deeply reflect on his misconduct."

Na debuted with a minor role in the comedy "Twenty" in 2015 and starred in several TV and web series, including tvN's "Mystic Pop-up Bar" (2020). The episodes starring Na will air from next Monday.

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