Singer and actor Park Yoo-chun is drawing attention after he shared what appears to be a strikingly changed, recent update through social media.
Park Yoo-chun posted a single photo from daily life on his social media account on the 30th of last month. In the revealed photo, Park Yoo-chun is seen bowing his head at what looks like a restaurant while staring somewhere off-camera. In particular, his hair, which has been bleached yellow, and his gaunt face that looks very different from his former heyday are what stand out. The lean look—hard to find in his once-glamorous TVXQ and JYJ days—suggests the passage of time and hints at the controversies he has faced.
From alleged drug use to reversing retirement—an ugly downward spiral
Behind Park Yoo-chun’s bitter recent status are major incidents that rocked the entertainment world. He was swept up in a sex scandal while serving as an alternative military service worker in 2016, dealing a fatal blow to his image. In 2018, he was arrested on suspicion of methamphetamine use, crossing a point of no return. At the time, the court sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.
In particular, at the start of the drug allegations he held an emergency press conference and tearfully insisted on his innocence, saying, “If the allegations of drug use are true, I will retire from the entertainment industry.” But the results of a test by the National Forensic Service’s investigation unit came back positive, exposing the fact that he had thoroughly deceived the public.
Headed to Japan under the stain of a high-profile tax delinquent
The morality controversy did not end there. Park Yoo-chun repeatedly failed to pay a total of 400,09 million won in taxes—including capital gains tax that arose in 2016—landing him on the National Tax Service’s list of high-profile, habitual tax delinquents in 2023. He also received a ruling ordering him to pay 500 million won in compensation to his former agency after he ignored a court order barring him from appearing on television and pushed ahead with independent activities.
With a string of illegal acts and controversy over repeated lies leading to his de facto permanent expulsion from the domestic entertainment industry, Park Yoo-chun has now moved his stage to Japan. He has continued limited activities overseas, including holding fan meetings for some local fans who support him.
