Why Kim Seon-Ho Did Not Do K-Dramas For 3 Years After Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha?

Kim Seon-Ho is the flavour of the season. The Korean actor opened Netflix's 2026 K-drama slate on a hit note with his latest release, Can This Love Be Translated? He plays a multi-lingual translator Joo Ho-Jin who helps an actress, Cha Mu-Hee (Go Youn-Jung), heal from her childhood trauma and overcome a split-personality disorder. The 39-year-old has been having a good run on screens ever since he appeared in a small yet memorable role opposite IU in When Life Gives You Tangerines last year. Seonho is now returning to play the male lead full throttle and would reunite with his Start-Up co-star Bae Suzy in the upcoming show, Portraits of Delusion, that releases later this year.Seonho, who delivered the fan-favourite Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, went

on a hiatus from acting post the show's success in 2021. Though he made his film debut with The Childe in 2023, and did action spy thriller series The Tyrant in 2024, it was only this year that his proper comeback happened.

Why did Kim Seon-Ho take a break?

The reason can be attributed to a controversy that Seonho got embroiled into. In 2021, the actor got involved in allegations from an ex-girlfriend who accused him of emotional abuse and coercing her into an abortion.In October 2021, an anonymous post surfaced on the internet where a woman made allegations against "Actor K", who quickly turned out to be Kim Seon-Ho. This was soon after Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha had its finale. Seonho issued a public apology, admitting to the coercion. This led to him losing out on several brands and endorsements. He stepped down from reality show 2 Days & 1 Night, which he was doing at that time, apart from some acting projects. Seonho went into a hiatus and refrained from making public appearances.

Aftermath of the controversy

Eventual investigation proved that the abortion was consensual and that the breakup stemmed from the girlfriend's infidelity. After the Dispatch report came out, Seonho's ex-girlfriend apologised for the misunderstanding, acknowledging the inaccuracies in her initial claims.Public sentiment started to shift soon after, as Seonho planned to rebuild his career with a return to acting, making way for a strong comeback.