This morning, the whole of Korea was suddenly shaken when social media was flooded with rumors that legendary actor Lee Soon-jae – affectionately called “the nation’s grandfather”, “Ja Ok’s husband”, and a cross-generational icon of the small screen – was said to have “passed away” in the early morning.
However, an official source quickly appeared, confirming that this was just a false rumor but spread at an explosive speed – causing the entertainment industry and fans to experience an unimaginable shock.
It all started with an anonymous post at 3 a.m., claiming to have “inside information”, declaring that the 91-year-old artist had “taken his last breath”. Despite having no evidence, the post burned like fireworks: tens of thousands of comments, hundreds of thousands of shares, and countless panic-filled condolences.
A longtime fan said in tears: “I woke up and saw the news on social media. My heart dropped to the bottom. No one was prepared for that, even in my imagination.”
YTN, SBS and a series of news sites had to urgently issue announcements: there was no confirmation of the rumored situation. But the damage had been done – fans were confused, forums were congested, and the male artist’s management team was flooded with calls asking about his condition.
An industry source recounted:
“In just 20 minutes, the whole showbiz was on red alert. Everyone thought they had just witnessed the most important announcement of the year.”
The shock was so great that some morning TV shows had to change their scripts immediately to clarify the truth.
Although it was just a fabricated story that spread, the fierce reaction from the public showed the huge influence of the veteran artist – an icon that made many generations feel like their own relatives were being threatened.
Media experts are now asking:
Who is behind the rumor? And why did they choose this time to launch a hoax that shocked the whole country?
Until the explanation was given, netizens could only sigh:
“No one can touch the national grandfather anymore. Our hearts are too weak.”
