A beloved Korean actress candidly revealed the behind-the-scenes story of discovering an influencer, who later appeared in Single’s Inferno, and their relationship following a controversy.
On July 2nd, a video titled “I invited the second Karina Kwon Eun Ji to my home” was uploaded on YouTube.
In the video, actress Kang Ye Won explained the reason she started her influencer management business, saying, “Nine years ago, I created a nutritional supplement and asked influencers to promote it. But they were too high-handed, and many didn’t respond even after a month, which hurt me. I thought I needed my own influencer network to communicate directly with brands, so I started management.”
She said she expanded her business by signing contracts with Freezia (also known as Song Ji A), Park Ji Hyun, Imvely, Kang Hee Jae, and others.
Regarding her connection with Freezia, Kang said, “I first met Freezia when she was a junior in college. At that time, she had about 30,000 Instagram followers. She was unique, cute, and had a bubbly personality, so I signed a five-year contract with her.”
She recalled, “We tried various variety shows. I chased after producers. I brought Park Ji Hyun to Heart Signal, but Freezia wasn’t accepted. Only Park Ji Hyun made it. I was confident a program suited for Freezia would come up, so I kept setting up meetings and facing failures.”
Kang continued, “Then she auditioned for SNL but lacked confidence in acting. I encouraged her to try, but the producer said she was too bad at acting, so she wasn’t accepted. On the way back, the producer introduced a show called Single’s Inferno and told me to send her there. Freezia didn’t want to go, but I persuaded her strongly. My intuition told me it would be a hit, and it exploded in popularity after she appeared.”
However, Freezia later became embroiled in a controversy over wearing counterfeit luxury goods.
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Kang, as joint CEO of the agency at the time, also faced criticism. After discussions in 2023, the two decided not to renew their exclusive contract and parted ways.
On their split, Kang said, “I felt disappointed and a bit sad. But it’s natural for actors to change companies as part of their careers. I believe there’s a reason for everything.”
She added, “I have things to say about the incident, but I don’t want to publicize it. It seems like a matter of mutual respect. I hope she does even better than when we worked together. That way, I’ll do well too, and we’ll both succeed.”
She emphasized, “We even talked on the phone recently. There’s absolutely no bad blood between us.”