Kim Soo Hyun’s film Real’s director Lee Jung Sub speaks out on resurfaced controversy over Sulli’s explicit scenes: ‘Pained me...’

Director Lee Jung Sub breaks silence on Real controversy, involving Kim Soo Hyun and Sulli. He expresses long-held frustrations and denies responsibility for the film's outcome. Read more here!

Updated on Mar 29, 2025  |  05:48 PM IST |  211.9K
Sulli, Kim Soo Hyun: Courtesy of Sulli Instagram, tvN
Sulli, Kim Soo Hyun: Courtesy of Sulli Instagram, tvN

The tragic death of Sulli, a beloved South Korean singer and actress, continues to spark debate, particularly regarding her role in the controversial 2017 film Real. Recently, Sulli’s family has demanded an official statement from actor Kim Soo Hyun regarding the explicit scenes Sulli was involved in during the production of the film.

The film, which was released as a noir action thriller, has resurfaced in the public eye due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun’s past relationships, especially allegations concerning his involvement with late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor.

On March 28, Lee Jung Sub, the original director of Real, took to his social media accounts to address the film’s troubled production. Lee re-shared a tweet from a netizen, which read, "Someone mentioned an old tweet I wrote in 2017 about the director change incident for the film Real. I suppose the film is being brought up again because of a certain actor these days… No way - could it really be them? Now that the film is out, I can say this confidently: director Lee Jung Sub had absolutely 0% responsibility for how that movie turned out," as quoted by Kbizoom.


His frustration with the situation was evident as he quoted the re-tweet, writing, "Thank you. It has pained me deeply for a long time." The movie Real initially saw Lee Jung Sub in the director’s chair, but after completing much of the filming, the directorial role was transferred to Lee Sa Rang, who is not only a relative of Kim Soo Hyun but also the current CEO of GOLDMEDALIST, the production company behind the film.

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At that time, the production company had explained the change by citing "creative differences" between Lee Jung Sub and the rest of the team.

Previously, on March 11, Lee shared his anger about the entrenched corruption within South Korea's media, entertainment, and political industries, writing, “Breaking through the stronghold of South Korea’s media, its corporate interests, and the political and financial circles these stars cling to is almost impossible. No one understands the desperation of exposing this impenetrable cartel until they become a victim themselves.” 

Following the emergence of the underage controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun, he has been reposting content related to Real, Kim Soo Hyun, Sulli, and Kim Sae Ron. On March 13, he also shared, “Too many of my beloved friends have passed away. Thinking about them, I feel like I have survived miserably and cowardly. This world is too vile to remain sane.”

Meanwhile, Sulli’s brother has raised concerns about her forced participation in explicit scenes during the filming of Real. They dispute claims about a body double and are demanding clarification from Kim Soo Hyun and director Lee Sa Rang. GOLDMEDALIST has not provided further comments, only stating they are verifying the facts.

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Credits: Sports Kyunghyang
About The Author

Iqra Siddiqui is a Korean Content Writer at Pinkvilla, covering the latest scoops in Korean entertai...

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