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'She was kind': Mother clarifies situation after Son Ye-jin accused of ignoring child actor

Published: 26 Aug. 2025, 10:02 Updated: 26 Aug. 2025, 20:22

Actors Lee Byung-hun, left, and Son Ye-jin attend a press conference for Park Chan-wook's upcoming film, ″No Other Choice,″ held at the CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in central Seoul on Aug. 19. [YONHAP]

Actor Lee Byung-hun’s playful anecdote about Son Ye-jin ignoring a child actor’s questions on set sparked online criticism, prompting the child’s mother to clarify the situation.

The controversy began on Aug. 19 at a press conference in Seoul for director Park Chan-wook’s upcoming film, "No Other Choice."

During the conference, Son, who returned to acting after giving birth, said her experience as a mother influenced her performance.

“It helped that this was my first project since giving birth,” she said.

“I had played many mothers before, but experiencing it myself made it completely different. Being with a child on screen felt very natural.”

Lee responded with surprise, “That’s different from what I saw on set.”

“The child actor playing your daughter asked a lot of questions. I kept answering until I was exhausted [...] but Son never responded once," Lee said. "When I asked her to answer, she told me to take care of it.”

Lee then laughed, adding, “But hearing this now makes me realize that I guess she cared.”

Son explained she had been focused on the emotional weight of her lines and the director’s detailed instructions.

“[The child] was very curious and had many questions [...] but I had to concentrate,” she said.

Actor Son Ye-jin poses for a photo at a press conference for Park Chan-wook's upcoming film, ″No Other Choice,″ at the CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in central Seoul on Aug. 19. [NEWS1]

The atmosphere at the event remained friendly, but an edited clip highlighting only Lee’s remarks spread on social media, leading to criticism that Son had ignored the young actor.

On Sunday, the mother of child actor Choi So-yul addressed the issue on Instagram.

“I was caught off guard too. It was just a funny episode told in a joking way,” she wrote.

“We also feel there were some unfair parts [said at the conference]. But there will be a time to tell our story."

"The fact is that she was kind," she added.

Past accounts from the family also reflected Son’s warmth. Choi’s mother previously posted that Son had managed to find and gift her daughter a highly sought-after toy, writing, “Son Ye-jin gave it as a present. Thank you. It was the best Christmas gift.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]