Kim Ji-soo (Korean: 김지수; born 30 March 1993), professionally known as Ji Soo, is a South Korean actor. He is currently residing in the Philippines.
Early life and education
In elementary school, Ji Soo was a judo athlete and competed at national level before giving it up due to injuries.[1] He was an actor trainee under JYP Entertainment in 2012.[2]
Career
Ji Soo made his acting debut on stage in 2009 and consequently starred in several short films, including having a leading role in the Korean-Filipino independent film Seoul Mates.[3] He first gained recognition in high school drama Angry Mom (2015).[4][5]
In 2018, Ji Soo was cast in JTBC's drama special Ping Pong Ball,[12] and Netflix's youth romance drama My First First Love.[13][14]
In 2020, Ji Soo signed a contract with KeyEast.[15]
In 2021, Ji Soo was approved to play the part as the male lead role in the Korean drama River Where the Moon Rises. The drama began airing on 15 February 2021 with the actor Ji Soo portraying the character role of On Dal. He starred in the drama for six aired episodes until reported school bullying and assault accusations were made against him, hence KBS replaced Ji Soo so he was from then on removed from the show. The role of On Dal was re-cast by actor Na In Woo, that then appeared from episode nine onward of the drama.[16]
Actor Ji Soo was announced to be enlisted for mandatory military service duties in October 2021, reports say that Ji Soo received mandatory military service duties summon in December 2020. After completed four weeks of basic military training, he was announced to carry out the rest of his services in the assigned social worker department.[17]
On 6 July 2021, the legal representative of Ji Soo, law company Shin & Kim, revealed a new statement about the open-ended legal procedures of before-reported school bullying and assault allegations. In May 2021, the same representative has stated the actor has decided to take legal action against the people who made false accusations and spread false rumors.
"In March 2021, there were many blatant lies posted on the Internet including those accusing our client of sexual offense allegations. The man who wrote a post accusing our client has sexually assaulted his wife in the past has come forward and apologized, but the rest of the accusatory posts made their way around the web without any verification. Thus, our client has decided to take legal action against the circulators of false information to reveal the truth.
Recently, we were able to locate one of the writers of false accusatory posts thanks to search and seizure on IP addresses and more. The man turned out to be a soldier who recently enlisted. He admitted that everything he claimed in his post was false. He then sincerely apologized to our client with a handwritten letter and plead for his forgiveness given that his mother is currently battling cancer.
Our client has dropped the aforementioned man from the lawsuit after considering both his and the perpetrator's circumstances. However, most publishers are laying low after deleting their false accusatory posts. We will take strict legal action against these people.
Meanwhile, the posts accusing him of school bullying were mostly untrue as well. Our client has sued them for libel. We are writing to notify the search warrant has been issued by the court and the investigations pertaining to the case is underway."[18]
On May 27, 2021, KeyEast announced that Ji Soo's exclusive contract with the agency has been terminated due to the controversy.[19]
In mid-2024, Ji Soo resides in the Philippines and has been returned to acting by working on GMA Network. He guest-starred in the action drama Black Rider.[20][21] He also played a recurring role in the medical drama Abot-Kamay na Pangarap.[22] On August 28, 2024, Ji Soo signed a contract with GMA's talent agency Sparkle.[23]
Personal life
Ji Soo received surgery for acute osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone or bone marrow, usually due to infection) on September 13, 2016.[24][25] On September 27, he returned to filming Fantastic and was officially discharged from hospital on 1 October.[26][27]
In a statement posted on an online forum by an anonymous person on March 2, 2021, Ji Soo was accused of being a bully during his school years.[51] The following day, his agency, KeyEast, released a statement saying that "[they] are looking at this incident seriously and will do [their] utmost to verify the facts."[52]
Following a series of similar accusations, Ji Soo posted a hand-written apology to his Instagram account on 4 March 2021.[53] He stated:
"I would like to sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by me. I have absolutely no room for excuses for my actions in the past. They were unforgivable.
As I began acting, I was able to come this far due to the fact that I covered up my past, and as a result received undeserving love and attention from the public.
But deep inside, I always held a sense of guilt in one part of my heart, and an irreversible regret haunted me anxiously. I was always pressed down by my dark past.
I now beg forgiveness to those who were undoubtedly deeply hurt for a long time, seeing me acting, and I will reflect on the unforgivable actions of my past and repent.
I feel miserable and guilty for inflicting so much damage on all of my fellow drama cast and crew members, the broadcasting station, and all those affiliated with the production, solely due to my own personal mistakes. I sincerely pray that the drama will not suffer any more damages.
Once again, I beg for forgiveness on my knees to all those who were hurt by me."[54]
It was later reported that Ji Soo would be replaced by actor Na In-woo in the television series River Where the Moon Rises.[55][56][57] KeyEast issued a statement confirming Ji Soo's activities would be halted prior to his military enlistment in October 2021.[58][59]
