Ahn So-hee's Roy Kim Friendship Video Triggers Unsubscribe Wave Over 2019 Scandal

A casual shopping vlog turned into something messier than anyone expected. On the 25th, actress Ahn So-hee uploaded a YouTube video titled "Shopping and Café Outing in Hannam-dong with My 10-Year Friend Roy Kim," and the fallout has been running ever since.

The video itself is genuinely warm. The two stroll through Hannam-dong, browse clothes, and swap the kind of easy, low-stakes banter that only comes from years of actual friendship. Ahn So-hee recalled the first time she met Roy Kim, in the United States, and the detail she remembered most: he was wearing a flashy knit sweater worth around 3 million won. Roy Kim, for his part, revealed he has attended Ahn So-hee's performances consistently, including her most recent show. Neither seemed to be performing for the camera.

The reveal that surprised viewers most was the timeline. "People don't really know," Ahn So-hee said on camera. "That we're close. It's been almost ten years." Roy Kim confirmed the same. Ten years is a long friendship to keep quiet, and the video's comfortable chemistry made it easy to believe.

Where it went sideways

The problem, for a portion of viewers, is Roy Kim's history. In 2019, he was investigated in connection with the Jung Joon-young group chat scandal, which involved the circulation of illegally filmed content. Roy Kim received a non-prosecution disposition, meaning he was not indicted, and has since returned to releasing music and performing. He has been active again for years.

That history didn't stay buried once the video went live. Comments on Ahn So-hee's channel split almost immediately. On one side: "Why am I seeing Roy Kim, Jung Joon-young's friend, on So-hee's YouTube?", "I've been a longtime fan but I see things differently now," and "I've been subscribed since the channel launched, but this is just disappointing, unsubscribing." The unsubscribe comments are the ones that got picked up in coverage, and they're the ones that stung.

On the other side, Roy Kim fans and others pushed back just as hard. The counterarguments were direct: he was not indicted, he has already faced consequences, and holding a private friendship against Ahn So-hee is a stretch. Several comments pointed out that the video wasn't an endorsement of anything other than a decade of knowing someone.

The comment section as the story

The video's actual content, the café conversation, Roy Kim gifting Ahn So-hee a bottle of wine, the two joking about blind date outfits, a promise to do a wine-tasting video together, got buried under the debate. At the end of the video, Ahn So-hee cheered on Roy Kim's new album and upcoming concerts, and Roy Kim thanked her for being supportive. It was a good-natured sendoff. The comments did not match the mood.

What's notable is that the initial reaction was largely positive. "Unexpected pairing but the chemistry is real," and "You can tell they genuinely care about each other" were among the early responses. The backlash came in waves, not all at once, which is how these things tend to go when a name from 2019 surfaces.

The divided reaction is not going away quickly. Two people revealing a friendship that has lasted ten years should not be the most controversial thing either of them did this month, but here we are.