The 27-year-old South Korean actress and model Clara paid a price for providing different answers in several television talk show appearances, back in the spring.
The 27-year-old South Korean actress and model Clara paid a price for providing different answers in several television talk show appearances back in the spring.
When several online observers began pointing out the discrepancies in Clara’s answers in interviews over the years, they set off a vitriolic Internet movement, saying that the actress, whose real name is Lee Seong Min, was a liar.
In the premiere episode of her new reality show “Clara’s Like A Virgin” on Tuesday, she described how the accusations of lying disturbed her so deeply she was afraid to show up on set.
“The controversy continued for about three months. Every week felt like a year. It got to the point that I was scared to go to filming locations.” Clara said.
“The other cast members all supported me, but that just made me more clueless about what to do. I wondered if it was all right for me to smile.”
The star of the 2013 television drama “Goddess of Marriage” recalled the deep contemplation that the rumors forced on her.
“I only had the desire to be alone,” Clara said.
“I realized that I had been the only one excited by the people’s love. I don’t know why I always wanted to do well. Nevertheless, I worry whether the public will get to like me if I were to say I see myself as I am.”
Yet anti-fan Claudia believes Clara deserves more online torment.
“Now Clara, we have the right to talk bad about her, since she thinks she’s better than anyone from K-pop,” Claudia wrote in the comments section of the actress’s profile on the website Asianwiki on Thursday.
“She lied to everyone to everyone to like her, she thinks that Korean fans are stupid. Even comedians talk about her, [saying] ‘stop lying, Clara.’”
“If she lied to you…would you like it?” Claudia asked.
“You would be embarrassed, because she doesn’t think about another people’s feelings, but only about her image…please, let us be anti-fans, losers.”
Clara’s alleged lies include telling the host of the program “God of Food Road” that she doesn’t like chicken and beer and then expressing her love for the classic bar food pairing on an episode of “Cultwo Show” and claiming she didn’t know how to do yoga on the show “Happy Together 3,” after demonstrating yoga poses in the past on the shows “Vitamin” and “Reckless Family.”
The actress was also observed giving different answers regarding her social life, stating on “One in Fantasy” that she had never dated a celebrity, before revealing on the program “Radio Star” that a famous former boyfriend had become obsessed with her, according to the website allkpop.
In a September 10 Facebook post that has since been taken down, Clara deactivated both her Facebook and Twitter accounts last month, the actress told her critics to lighten up.
“I did variety [shows] that put humor as a priority,” Clara wrote.
“It wasn’t a documentary that [ensured] honesty. I would understand if you said that I was not funny [in my appearances],”
She then proceeded to launch into specific responses regarding several of the alleged examples of her lying.
“I don’t like chicken and beer, but is it a lie to say I like it between good friends in a good atmosphere?” she asked.
“If I’ve never learned yoga but I’m good at it, is that a lie? If I have dated a celebrity before, but didn’t want to say and said I didn’t date one, is that a lie?”
“My real name is Clara Lee,” the star added.
“I was born in Switzerland, I was educated in the US, and my citizenship is in England. Just like you all have said, maybe I don’t know the Korean sentiment. So I will work very, very hard to learn and fix it. I think you can hate me and you can leave mean comments and curse at me. However, just because things are different, don’t say it’s wrong.”
