“Trying to give them away quickly caused a stir”... Hwang Jung-eum directly addresses toy giveaway controversy

[Financial News] Actress Hwang Jung-eum recalled the controversy that arose during a past free toy giveaway. Looking back on how she started giving the toys away before they were fully sorted, she said, “I think how it comes across matters, too.”
On the 7th, footage of Hwang Jung-eum receiving an enzyme sauna treatment to lose weight was posted on her YouTube channel.
Hwang Jung-eum chatted with fans nearby while receiving the treatment, and the controversy over her past free toy giveaway came up again. One fan said, “I really liked that.”
Hwang Jung-eum explained that she started the giveaway while sorting through toys as she prepared to move. “I was supposed to move at the time, but I posted about it while sorting the toys, before I’d finished organizing them,” she said. “I just posted it and got started. Trying to give them away quickly ended up causing a stir.”
Looking back on how she handled it at the time, she added, “I think how it comes across matters, too.”
The controversy began last February, when Hwang Jung-eum held a free toy giveaway at her home in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. At the time, she announced, “I’m giving away toys for free. They’re toys my child used carefully, so please feel free to take them if you need them.”
Photos posted at the time showed toys placed on the ground near a garbage collection site, including some with their handles detached. Some online users reacted by asking, “Isn’t this dumping rather than giving things away?” and saying, “There was no effort.” As the controversy spread, some media outlets referred to it as a “waste giveaway.”
Later, A, who said they had taken part in the giveaway in person, offered a different account. “The story was reported strangely. It didn’t look like waste,” they said, claiming that “children’s items and books were being given away for free in a spacious yard, while adult clothes, bags, shoes and other items were offered in a flea-market-style sale.”
Hwang Jung-eum also left a comment directly on that post at the time. “Thank you. I hadn’t responded because the article wasn’t true anyway...” she wrote, adding, “Please tell lots of people that the toys, baby clothes and books are all being given away.”
In the video, Hwang Jung-eum again explained how she had rushed to start the giveaway, and shared her view that not only the intention but also how things appear to others is important.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter