[HanCinema's News] Kim Hieora Confirmed as Removed From "Jeong Nyeon"

MBC recently confirmed that actress Kim Hieora will not be appearing in the upcoming television drama "Jeong Nyeon" which began filming this month. The news follows intensified bullying allegations against the actress in the wake of the end of "The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch" earlier this month. Kim Hieora had been a rising star, having made her screen debut only three years earlier in "Hospital Playlist" with a named role reprised in the drama's sequel.

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But Kim Hieora received her strongest plaudits in "The Glory" on Netflix earlier this year where she played one of five tormenters of the lead character played by Song Hye-kyo during their time together as high school classmates. The real-life accusations against Kim Hieora were that she had a similar real life role at Sangji Girls' Middle School some two decades prior, with the gang she ran in at that time engaging in violent and extortive behavior.

Kim Hieora's agency initially fully disputed the claims, though Kim Hieora has since written an online apology for her past actions. MBC appears to have been aware of the allegations before the general public. Internal sources at the network suggest that her casting was a done deal, but that Kim Hieora was either unwilling or unable to provide evidence to MBC's satisfaction that rumors about her involvement in school bullying were groundless.

The story about Kim Hieora, though delayed beyond the drama's completion, is another troubled one for "The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch" following similar accusations against Cho Byeong-kyu, though those were later retracted. The apology by Kim Hieora was also limited. She acknowledged involvement with the gang, but claimed that she did not engage in the more salacious behavior described in the original news article.

Purportedly, Kim Hieora came to an understanding with the informant of that article to the effect that her memories of past events were flawed, and may have confused Kim Hieora's actions with those taken by other people. Despite being removed from "Jeong Nyeon" Kim Hieora is still starring in an ongoing domestic musical production of Frida. However, she has no upcoming screen projects as of this writing.

Written by William Schwartz