Comedian Kim Gura embroiled in controversy over past remarks, will halt all broadcast activities

Comedian Kim Gura, famous for his sharp wit and unflinching criticism, will be stepping down from all of his current broadcast activities thanks to a wave of criticism over some of his past remarks.

The controversial incident in question occurred during one of his prior Internet broadcasts. A group of female workers from the Texas area of ‘Cheonho-dong’, a red light district in Korea, who had been protesting against police crackdowns by renting two busses to take them in front of the human rights office.

The problem started when Kim Gura compared this with the Japanese occupation, saying, “Prostitutes dividing themselves up into two busses haven’t been seen since the Korean Women Labor Brigades.”

The Korean Women Labor Brigades were an organization formed by the Japanese rulers during the waning days of the Korea occupation, and are – predictably – a major bone of contention among Koreans today.

As the furor over his remarks refused to subside, Kim Gura released an official statement saying he will be retiring from the broadcast industry, effective immediately.

“If the public can no longer feel enjoyment seeing my face on TV, then I have no right to be a broadcast worker,” he said in a prepared statement, released on the 16th. “As such, starting today I have decided to take some time to myself thinking and reflecting on my actions.”

“As I realized how much my words affected many people, I’ve always lived with a feeling of responsibility in the corner of my heart,” he confessed. “I’ve always been thankful to those who helped me continue my career despite my many faults. But I once again realize that I cannot wash away all of my mistakes… I bow in apology towards everyone who’ve loved me and to whom I’ve disappointed again. I also apologize to my colleagues and friends who will be affected by my sudden decision. To those who’ve been hurt and angered by my words, not even a lifetime of reflection and apology will be enough.”

“I will spend some time thinking over my actions and looking back on my immaturity,” he finished.

It’s currently unknown what will happen to his many programs, such as “Immortal Song 2” or “Golden Fishery – Radio Star“. Stay tuned to allthatkpops for updates.

Source: Sports Chosun

Chocolat’s Tia is only a year older than Kim Gura’s son?

 

In a recent photo of Chocolat‘s Tia and Kim Gura‘s son Kim Dong Hyun, it is hard to believe that these two are only a year apart.

This picture was uploaded onto an online community forum with the title ‘Kim Dong Hyun and Chocolat’s Tia, one year age difference celebrities’.

The photo shows Tia and Dong Hyun at a cafe, but instead of looking like friends, it looks like an older sister spending time with her younger brother. In reality, they are only a year apart with Tia being born in 1997 and Dong Hyun being born a year after in 1998. Compared to Dong Hyun, netizens are amazed at how mature Tia looks.

They responded saying, “Do they really only have a year of age difference? Tia looks like she’s in her 20s..“, “Dong Hyun grew up a lot but in front of Tia he looks like a child“, and “I can’t believe Tia was born in 1997.”

Source & Image: TV Report via Nate

Kim Gura makes critical remarks on MBLAQ & miss A’s variety show performances

Comedian Kim Gura recently shared his thoughts on the Big 3 agencies- SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment.

During the filming for the January 6th episode of JTBC ‘Quiz Show Idols’ Premiere‘, Kim Gura boldly expressed his own thoughts on how artists from the Big 3 agencies perform on variety programs.

He looked towards featured guests miss A and MBLAQ, remarking that JYPE disciples do not perform well at all. MBLAQ came to their own defense remarking, “But… we aren’t under JYP Entertainment.”

Kim Gura remarked that it was basically the same thing. His reasoning was that they were created by singer Rain, who worked under JYP for most of his career, which in turn, put MBLAQ under the JYP umbrella.

Kim Gura did not stop there, he continued, “Different from JYP, SM Entertainment artists are pretty good at variety shows and entertainment. YG on the other hand, you can do with or without them.”

miss A and MBLAQ who had to hear Kim Gura criticize them reportedly used their witty variety show skills to also make him feel awkward, proving him ultimately wrong.

Source & Image : OSEN

Kim Gura confesses he was once on welfare

Comedian Kim Gura recently confessed that in the past, he was reliant on welfare.

On this week’s episode of OBS‘s ‘Kim Gura & Moon Hee Jun’s Gossip Girl’, Kim Gura revealed, “Although I’m now living life as a well-known person… I had some difficult times in the past too.” He continued, “Starting from the early stages of my marriage to just after my son Donghyun was born, I had been on welfare.”

Kim Gura explained, “I was busy just trying to get by and didn’t have the luxury to be concerned about my pride… One day, Donghyun had to be taken to the hospital, but at the time, the insurance cards of those on welfare was a different color than regular insurance cards. My wife told me that she felt embarrassed after coming back from the hospital because our card was a different color.”

When the guests on the show expressed their surprise at his confession, he stated, “Back then, I had just debuted, and I didn’t have any kind of guaranteed work… I was just making back and forth trips from home to the broadcast station rather than actually working.”

The story and more will be aired on October 27th.

Source + Photo: Hankooki via Naver

Check out a preview of Super Junior’s Kyuhyun as a new ‘Radio Star’ MC

Late last month, it was announced that Super Junior‘s Kyuhyun would be temporarily filling in for fellow member Kim Heechul (who’s currently serving in the army) on MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘.

Fans finally got a glimpse of what his role would entail through a new preview released on October 12th!

Earlier, the producers had revealed that they chose Kyuhyun for his bizarre charms and MCing potential. It seems he’s fitting right in, as the preview shows him teasingly attacking Kim Gura, the toughest of Korea’s MCs, while blushing and acting shy towards the episode’s guests,KARA.

The members of KARA also talk about some fun topics like Hara and dating, as well as an opportunity to honestly express their feelings on one another.

Check out the preview!