South Korean Actor Park Hae Jin To Serve Community Service In Guryong Village As Response To Alleged Haters
Korea Times reported Oct. 5 that South Korean actor Park Hae Jin will visit Guryong Village in Gangnam to render community service again by the end of this month.
The actor has reportedly been doing the community service since 2013 following harsh comments received on the internet from netizens based on rumors that Park was avoiding military duties, when he was actually granted exemption from performing compulsory military service due to depression.
Park allegedly sued a group of people in Guryong Village in March of 2013 for spreading the rumors, but eventually dropped the charges on the condition that the group will be performing voluntary work with him, reported Korea Times on Nov. 5, 2014. For the community service, the 32-year-old actor chose the task of distributing coal briquettes to the people within the village before the winter season approaches.
On Oct. 31, 2014, Park and the people worked for the first time distributing 1,600 coal briquettes for five hours.
"I think they (cyber bullies) learned a lesson about how to express their emotions in a different way," said an official of Park's management company, WM Company. "And Park learned how to communicate with his cyber bullies in an honest way. He was very excited to share happiness with everyone at the scene."
Korea JoongAng Daily also noted on Oct. 20, 2014 that Park donated 100 million won to the Guryong Village seniors who are living alone, with a portion of the donation going to senior community centers of the village.
This year, Park Hae Jin in will be distributing coal briquettes once again to 152 residents of Guryong Village and will donate 50 million won worth of daily necessities to the villagers.
Park Hae Jin is known for his many television series appearances, including "East of Eden" in 2008, "My Daughter Seo Young" in 2012, "My Love from the Star" in 2013 and "Bad Guys in 2014. The actor is currently shooting a new drama that is based on a web comic titled "Cheese in the Trap."