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Joo Ji-hoon closes homepage and fan club

In preparation for his impending army enlistment, actor Joo Ji-hoon has announced that he is shutting down his homepage and refunding members of his official fan club for the remainder of time covered under their club dues.

The Devil and Antique Bakery actor has been living in seclusion at home ever since completing his court-ordered 120 hours of community service in August. This follows the May indictment he faced after being charged for drug use in April. He was given a suspended sentence of six months of jail time pending one year of probation (meaning, if he completes probation successfully, the jail time would be erased). Actress Yoon Seol-hee faced stiffer punishment for smuggling ecstasy and ketamine into the country from Japan, as did model Yeh Hak-young for financing the operations.

According to Joo Ji-hoon’s management, Yeoubeak Entertainment, his homepage will be shut down on December 1. Although he had thought to enlist by the end of the year, he has not yet received his papers so the date isn’t finalized. Apparently there is a waiting list for enlistees, with 1981-ers being processed first as this is their last year to enlist. Joo, born in 1982, technically must enlist by the end of next year, so he may be pushed back and find his enlistment scheduled for January.

Before the scandal broke, Joo was preparing his next acting project, but his future career prospects remain hazy at the moment. Through his homepage, Joo wrote to fans, “With my mistake, I hurt others and left without being able to show a proud and upright image. Rather than showing you my back, I promise that someday I will face you straightforwardly.”

Via My Daily

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His acting career may or may not be over, but a successful life as a man, a citizen, and perhaps a husband or even as a father might still be in his future.

He has to learn to be a productive and responsible human being before he can regain the trust that he took for granted by being young and stupid.

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve a second chance, and I'm not saying that I was any smarter than he was at his age, but we are all responsible for what he do, and the first step is owning up to it.

Good luck to JJH.

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Lots of people do really stupid things, I think he's a little old to be in the experiment stage, but hey, I wish the guy luck. He's a pretty likable actor and I would certainly like to see him on screen in the future.

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Joo Ji Hoon is my prime example of a fallen star. Ever since Goong, he was one of my top "idol". I guess this just shows that stars are humans too. They make mistakes as any other person on the street. I hope he can come back from this as a stronger and mature person. I hope he will be a much brighter star after all he must have learned from all this, right? I am looking forward to it. I am waiting!!

Good luck and I will miss you!

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@samsooki i'm not quite sure you can always chalk up some types of drug use to being young and stupid (and can you really argue that he's still in his pubescent experimental stage?) but i suppose it depends on who you talk to. and it's not like he admitted to it, he got caught and is now forced to own up to it. then again i know nothing about the situation and do not recognize the actor. but i also feel little sympathy because hey let's face it, many people do drugs and get caught for it, it's not smart to try it out when you are in the entertainment business. and it's korea we're talking about. no one would argue that korea doesn't scrutinize their entertainment sector with a judgmental eye.

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I think he was on his way to becoming a better actor and with the stupid decisions he made we won't be able to see his full spectrum for a while. Maybe after fulfilling his mandatory military duties, Netizens will be able to forgive him for his actions and let him continue on his acting career path.

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Nothing really to say besides pay for it and hope he moves on. I would like to see him on screen again some time in the distant future.

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I really like JJH, and have ever since the early days of my Kdrama obsession. Every time I read something new about him (which I've just realized has been a while; he really HAS been laying low), I still feel so sorry for him. I hope that everything gets back on track for him once he gets out of the army, because he definitely deserves a fair shot at a second chance. At life, love, work, everything. I wish him the best of luck.

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He was a decent actor. I didn't like him in Goong but his character and transformation in Devil and Antique's Bakery amazes me. I was going to put him on my favourite actor list and then the news of him taking drugs came out ...and I was like O_O He has all the chances and potential and he lost it

I never understand why people do drugs and I don't know if he will be able to succeed like he did before but good luck anyways.

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i wonder why people get involved in such fuss things where they know that this will harm them and even destroy their bright future.. hmm i got really sad and shock when the news broke about the drug scandal of ji hoon.. i said to myself is this some kind of joke? whoah? can't even think he would do that..

but anyways he do deserve second chance.. you know people change and grow up.. JJH goodluck and fighting!

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Good luck Joo Ji hoon. I think he is finally owning up to what he did was wrong and hurtful. He will learn to be a better and more responsible man from being in the army and hopefully, his career will revive.

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I think he did a smart move in secluding himself from everybody, and that includes his homepage and fan club, for if these are still active, he would be distracted by the comments of some people, and you'll never know, there might be a meanie who would hurt him more. I'm sure he has realized his mistakes, and I'm sure he wants to be condoned and accepted once he goes back, but I think he just wants more time to be by himself, to think through things, and when he comes back, people (fans and non-fans) would accept him again.

And this also puts him away from the media's eyes for sometime. Which is good. The act he did may not be forgotten when the time comes that he goes back on the business, but at least he redeemed himself.

I hope the ardent fans would understand this. I mean, they have already conveyed their feelings about the issue to JJH. ( I don't really read soompi that much to know what Korean fans did (and international fans), but knowing them, they did what they can.

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I only saw him in Goong and The Devil, and thought he was definitely growing as an actor. It is unfortunate it happened to him, but at the same time, maybe it is a good thing it happened at that stage in his life, so that it prevented him, stopped him from falling further into deeper "trouble," and still gives him time to recover and maybe come back. He is still fairly young, and still has a whole life ahead of him. Many are not as fortunate and meet more tragic ends. I do hope he turns his life around for the more positive. You can be young and foolish, just don't remain foolish. Good luck and best wishes JJH! Will wait for your return.

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I won't defend his actions, but I think that he should be given another chance if he really learns from his mistakes. I hope we're able to see a new, changed JJH when he returns from military duty.

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i hope things go well for him...i don't think one mistake should define his whole career/life. plus i'm sure he won't be trying any illegal drugs again after this mess! good luck to him!

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I just think when your life is one everyone is watching like hawks it takes a lot of stupidity to do something that can screw it all up....and in his case it did. Maybe for him it was his release, no one knows his true story but him. Despite that he made a mistake, and I hope he comes out of this a better actor but more importantly a better person.

People can tell you a million times not to do something wrong, but most people don't learn until they make that irreversible mistake and see things from the other side. I wish him luck and success.

Most people deserve a second chance!

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For all that's happened, I hope JJH really learns from his mistakes and grows to be a more mature and responsible human being from now on. He has so much potential, and I hope that when he comes back, he works harder than ever and show us what he's capable of. Best of luck to him.

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Like many others, I saw him in Goong first, liked him, but totally fell for him in Mawang and Antique. I wish him the best of luck and I hope that he will be able to return to acting in the future.

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i really like JJH
it sucks that because of this scandal im not going to be able to see him in anything in the near future...i really do hope people just get over it and let him come back to what he does best, but i guess it might take a while :(

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i hope he will make a full comeback!!!

and the tag 'bad behavior' cracks me up LOL. is it just me?

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i miss him. T___T

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i miss him! and i really hope to see him back on screen in the future. i guess its because in the state, drug use is not THAT big of a deal and so I don't feel what he did was bad. I actually applaud him for how he handled the situation. Drug use is a personal choice, just like everything else in the world. There are actions and consequences and he is owning up to his. So cut him some slack. I want to see him back!!! Don't ruin it for me people!

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“With my mistake, I hurt others and left without being able to show a proud and upright image. Rather than showing you my back, I promise that someday I will face you straightforwardly.”
i really hope he would be given the chance to face the public straighforwardly again...
best of luck for JJH

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It's strange that JJH has to lay low because of drug use while Andre Agassi intentionally attracted attention by admitting drug use in his new book. I saw a news segment where Agassi said he was even able to talk his way out of a positive drug test when he was still playing tennis. What a difference a country makes.

We had a health fair two weeks ago at my work place and they were passing out pamphlets regarding marijuana use. Since our city has a huge asian population, they even had pamphlets in chinese. It's probably shocking elsewhere but here in California, drug use is more acceptable. I used to work for a police station and people who were caught with possession of a minimal amount of marijuana (I forgot what the limit was) they just received a citation and the fine was about $50, less than a driving ticket. I think it's also harder to prosecute drug offenders here because some prospective jurors either think drugs should be legalized or they have some prior experience involving drugs. I was in a jury pool once and when the prosecutor asked who thinks drugs should be legalized, about 20 to 30 percent raised their hands.

Anyways, I'm neither a JJH fan nor a JJH hater. If he is able to resurrect his career and comes out with good work, I would watch it.

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First thing that came to my mind was "what a waste of talent" when the news broke about JJH drug abuse. My first "encounter" with JJH was Goong. His acting there was not stellar, but I saw "potential". Forward time, and unfortunately, I believe his "last" project before his "career implosion", we now have Antique Bakery. I definitely saw JJH grew in his acting skills there. **sigh *With what I believe to be true, entertainers' lives are irregular, demanding and hectic.Most of them, whether it's personal choice or from their management company, they have mutliple projects going on, often trying to "milk it" while the actors/actresses are popular. The fact that JJH chose drugs to relieve "stress" of his job actually backfire...Good luck JJH...PLEASE take this second chance seriously...Some of your fans (me included) will be waiting for your return as a better actor and a better,healthier person.

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Well , I kind of agree with Samsooki here. There are all kind of ways to be a good man, other than being an actor. it would be a good thing for him to learn from his mistakes, and become a better person. I really hope he'll find happiness in the future. We all make mistakes and we all deserve a second chance. the only thing is I secretely hope he will act again sometime, I really liked him in "The naked kitchen" but well, time will tell...

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Korea is one funny and weird country. Since I heard about JJH being investigate, punished to do social service and his career went down just because he admitted he took Estacy twice. So, what was wrong with that. He is an actor, most actors took it. In other country, taking drugs is not going to go jail. The authority will only nail drug dealers, drug trafficking, drug smuggler and all the big shot not the public who used them. What at messy system. He was so honest and admitted. No wonder so many sucide cases amongst the actor and actress because they cannot go thru all the "hypocrite" systems. JJH is a good actor and he dont deserve that kind of punishment. So little thing but so big mess. He is just another victim of bad hypocrite system..... Hope one day he will rise again and play a good movie, I am definately a fan....

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Oh yes, funny how big a difference a country makes.

In the US, if a congressman visits hookers, he pretty much has to resign. In Korea, nobody but their wives would care -- the sex industry is huge here and it's pretty much quietly accepted that man have access to them after marriage.

On the other hand, wow how the drug use is handled here in Korea, and even what the average Korean person's opinion on marijuana is. Admit to a Korean, even to a young one, that you've smoked pot once or twice, and they'll look at you like a Westerner would if you just showed them the needle scars on your arm.

Really goes to show to what extent culture shapes what we perceive as acceptable and what not.

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I wish him luck in whatever he does in the future. Everyone deserves a second chance. He is a good actor and not too bad on the eyes.

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looking forward to the day he'll be on screen again :)

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I wish him well. I enjoyed his acting in The Devil, Antique Bakery and The Naked Kitchen. I hope he will be able to make a comeback in the future.

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wonder how he is now, secluding himself like that.....

Miss this guy. He isnt one of the better actors around, yet i have a fondness for him(love him in Goong, Devil, and Antique..Naked Kitchen, not so)....guess am such a sucker for tall, lean, guys...hehe....

Hope he is well......

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i dislike the drug thing that he did. much more... i hate it. but when i read the article, i see how much he regret about what he had been doing. truthfully, it touch my feeling. hikz3x.People do made mistakes. when people learn something from the the mistake that they've done & try not to do it again, ok that enough 4 me. therefore, i have nothing to mad for even to criticize.
JJH i'm really expecting ur next drama/movie, u just an actor 4 me right?? so hell i care with what u've done outside the acting part. hee..
miss to see u again in screen then..
Semangat!!

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I hope his acting career is not over.
I really liked his acting and I really was looking forward to his future projects.
It's like the Noriko Sakai scandal in Japan, I believe she was sentensed to a couple years probation and her singing and acting career is most likely definetely over.

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It is a very hard way to learn his lesson, but everyone do make mistakes, you had

own it , be responsible and move on. Hope to see you on screen after your two

years military service, always smile don't be sad and come back like before as

an actor, khamsamida.

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korean entertainment is really hard..because of one mistake..I feel sorry for him. really liked his acting and geez, he is so good looking, such a waste. I hope he will get a chance after his army service.

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I love watching all his movies and drama. I hope he turns his life around and able to make a comeback one day.

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I wonder why he closed his fan club. Maybe traffic to the site has dwindled -- maybe it is a sign of his waning support even among his fans? It makes sense to stay on downlow for a little while, but if he intends to remain in showbiz then he should have kept up some line of communication with his fans...so it seems like an ominous (in terms of his career) move.

Well, it is hard to keep one's career going even in the best of times. It's a fickle business...so hopefully JJH will find meaning and purpose in his life elsewhere. It's gotta hurt, though.

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Holy wow! Congrats on getting feedback from Winterplay! *\o/*

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JJH will make an awesome comeback. He is young and made a mistake. Who doesn't? He have a whole life ahead and bright future. I love his acting and he is very talented... All my best wishes and prayers..

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JJH whatever happens hold on to these thoughts; You are stronger than you can imagine, braver than you know and cared so much more than words could ever tell.
We're here for you always.
Wishing you everything you need to get through this difficult time and remember your future is there to hold you and the road to fulfillment is navigated by sincere heart, its taken by those who are willing to explore their option (I'm thankful and glad you choose seclusion and enlisted in army), pursue your dreams and we be there for you JJH.

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First of all ,the important thing is for him to truly realize to what extent his mistake may have cost him. May the military service be a good break for him to turn his life around and exorcise whatever demons may have led him to that path. And after that, time has a way of healing wounds so to speak. He is a talented actor, was finally showing his potential it would be a waste if he cannot showcase it. But it is up to HIM in the long run whatever will happen. But hopefully it would be a good story and outcome.

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@21 i totally agree...it really sucks that people tend to take things to the extreme.
personal choices should stay personal and i really dont think people should judge him so hardly but whatever they did and now it sort of sucks that his career is over for now...of course im coming from a more liberal point of view and well i dont fully understand the big deal of this since half of the american actors have done drugs and what not and it doesnt seem to affect their career here in the states

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I liked JJH. I think he was one of those raw talents that needed a little experience, cultivation, and he would become great.

Everyone deserves a second chance, particularly those in Korea's highly stressful ent industry. He's paying the consequences for his decisions, but I hope he comes back more convicted and enligtened of his future. There's still a silver lining, and that is to learn from his mistakes.

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Seriously, I am surprised at the number of western/U.S.-centric comments in this thread. Here's a hint as to why JJH's treatment is different in Korea -- he is in Korea, he is Korean, and Korea is not America.

Is there something in American water that makes people so imperial in their attitudes -- like, 'cause you know, if America treats drug laws laxly, then surely the rest of the world must as well. If they don't, they are barbaric and backward.

Is this some kind of post-Bush-Cheney era of spreading "freedom" to heathens and civilizing them with "democracy" attitude that has rubbed off on everyday folks?

Cliff notes version to understanding other cultures (if you are American):
America is not the standard by which we determine other cultures
Yes, American laws are different from those of Korea (they are, in fact, two different countries -- believe it or not)
No, American laws or stance on things -- such as drugs, sex, violence, occupying other countries -- is not the only stance one can take
American stance is not inherently superior, better, and full of the freedoms that the terrorists envy

In conclusion, just because America does something a certain way doesn't mean that
a) it is better
b) the only way it can be done
c) the only way it should be done.

(YAB withdrawals are hard)

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When I heard that you did drugs, I wished it wasn't true, I was just beggining to be your fan and was hyped up for your big plans in the future. You don't know how dissapointed I was, but I hope you live rest of your life drug free now that you've learned, always <3 U JJH!

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learn some humility too, while you're at it..... you were on your way to developing a humongous head before the fall ...

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It's such a big deal in Korea because woodstock didn't happen there.

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All the best to JJH - I hope he comes back soon.

As for his Korean homepage closure, it's OK since he's still have the recently opened Japanese official homepage/fan club, http://www.ju-jihun.jp/ and alternative Korean website via YeouBeak (his agency)

Thanks javabeans.

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@ 44

Everything that you said could be summarized into a word called ETHNOCENTRISM.

Shows the success of George Bush & the last 8 years...wonder how long it would take the world to realize that actually, the last 8 years were crappy as can be...and just as we were trying to reverse everything, everything just had to collapse inwards into bankruptcy, foreclosure & an economic crisis.

I feel bad for the people picking up the mess left behind...

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@49 I know older people are blaming President Obama for the economic crisis, but they don't realize that the person before him was the cause of all of it. It doesn't just take a year to fix what someone for 8 years did horribly wrong.

Anyways, never was a big fan of JJH since found him boring and stiff in Goong. Tried watching The Devil and still can't get past his wooden acting. However, he did show some improvements in Antique so I could see he has some future in acting ... then I heard this drug trafficking news and well .... he did learn his lesson ... hopefully they will give him a second chance.

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