Park Sung Hoon faces backlash after sharing explicit 'Squid Game' parody post, issues apology

South Korean actor Park Sung Hoon, who portrayed a transgender character in the second season of the hit Netflix series Squid Game, is under fire for briefly sharing an explicit parody of the hit show.

In a now-deleted Instagram story, the 39-year-old Queen of Tears stars shared a cover image of an alleged Japanese porn video which looked like a parody of the series.

Although he immediately deleted it, the post reached many of his followers. This drew flak and criticism, especially since the country is holding its seven-day national mourning period following the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people.

"[I don't know] how this is supposed to help 'cause this just confirms he had the image saved in his phone lol," one user said. 

"The most ridiculous excuse I've ever seen," an X user wrote. 

"Do they think we are dumb? Posting on [Instagram] is a step-wise process. It's not a single click like writing a comment. Also what he uploaded was a pic he saved in his gallery lmao," another user said.

Sung Hoon's agency, BH Entertainment, released a statement explaining the incident and issuing an apology.

"Actor Park accidentally posted the image, which he received in a direct message, by mistakenly pressing the wrong button," the agency wrote, adding that the actor himself was also shocked at what happened.

"He is deeply sorry for making such a mistake in these circumstances and promises to be especially careful to ensure it doesn't happen again," the agency underscored. 

Sung Hoon played a transgender character named Hyun-Ju, or Player 120, in the series. His character is a former special forces soldier and transgender woman who joins the deadly game because she's short on money for her gender-affirming surgery.

Before this, he appeared in various projects, including Roots of the Throne, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, The Glory, and Queen of Tears, among others.