Park Han-byul Speaks Out on Husband’s 'Burning Sun' Ties: “It Was Hell”

After six years of silence, actress Park Han-byul has spoken publicly about her husband’s involvement in the high-profile Burning Sun scandal that rocked the South Korean entertainment industry.

A preview for the next episode of TV Chosun’s reality series ‘With Father and Me’, aired on March 25, featured Park sitting beside her father, tearfully opening up for the first time on camera.

“Hello, I’m actress Park Han-byul,” she said cautiously. “It feels like it took six years for me to stand in front of the camera again.”

The former star acknowledged the long hiatus that followed the 2019 scandal, in which her husband — businessman Yoo In-seok — was implicated in the Burning Sun nightclub case. “It was a disgraceful situation,” she said. “As his wife, I felt responsible, and that’s why I stepped away from the industry.”

Park recalled the aftermath as a period of total isolation. “Each day felt like hell. I completely cut myself off from the world,” she confessed. “I didn’t speak to anyone.”

She credits her father as her emotional anchor throughout the ordeal. In the interview, he expressed regret for not asking her more at the time, fearing he would add to her pain. “It felt like crawling out of a long, dark tunnel,” he said. Over a quiet meal with his daughter, he shared how the incident had affected him as well: “I developed social anxiety. I couldn’t sleep for days. I had dark thoughts — I even thought about jumping off a mountain.”

Eventually, Park broke down in tears, saying all she feels is guilt. Park married Yoo In-seok in 2017 and gave birth to their first son in April 2018. She withdrew from the spotlight in 2019 following her husband’s indictment and later relocated to Jeju Island, where she ran a café and welcomed a second child in 2022.

Yoo, who had business ties with former BIGBANG member Seungri, was charged with multiple crimes including embezzlement, prostitution mediation, violations of food safety laws, and breaching the Act on Aggravated Punishment for Specific Economic Crimes. In 2020, he received a suspended sentence of one year and eight months in prison with a three-year probation period.

Today, Park is slowly stepping back into the public eye. She recently signed with Chan Entertainment and announced her return to acting through a short-form drama series. “It’s been six years since my last project, so I feel both excited and nervous,” she shared. “I’m afraid I’ll forget everything and feel like a rookie all over again when I return to set.”

In a separate appearance on a YouTube show in November 2024, Park and comedian Hong In-gyu spoke together on Park's marriage. Park mentioned her marriage directly, saying, “There’s no problem with our relationship. Bue he’s being ‘watched’ like this."

Meanwhile, on March 25, news broke that Burning Sun Entertainment, the operator behind the infamous Gangnam nightclub, has officially entered bankruptcy proceedings. The company once listed Seungri as its executive director.