Choi Woo-shik Issues Apology Over Paris Fan Encounter Controversy

Actor Choi Woo-shik has publicly apologized after a Black fan accused him of racial discrimination at a fashion show in Paris. The actor addressed the controversy directly on his social media on the 28th.

"I'm sorry if I missed you," Choi Woo-shik wrote in English on his account. "I tried to sign as many as I could, but the time was too short. I sincerely hope we can meet again next time." The message was widely read as a response to growing online claims that he had passed over a Black fan during the event.

The controversy began when a Black woman shared a video on social media describing what she called the worst experience of her life at a Paris fashion show. She said she had prepared a poster and a sign hoping to get an autograph from an actor she admired. According to her account, the actor walked right past her without making eye contact and signed for other fans before leaving.

"I'm not someone who easily calls something racist," she said in her post. "But he came all the way over to where I was standing and only signed for the fans around me. I was the only Black person there."

Some international users online backed her claim and criticized Choi Woo-shik's behavior. Others pushed back after separate videos surfaced showing the actor signing autographs for Black fans at the same event. "This isn't discrimination," one comment read. "What exactly is racist about this?" another asked.

Choi Woo-shik is set to appear in the tvN drama "The Whale Star" (Goraebyeol), scheduled to premiere next year. Set during the Japanese colonial period, the series follows a man who gives everything to the independence movement and the woman who risks her life to protect him.