"Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" stars Lee Sung Kyung and Jo Hye Jung were embroiled in a controversy back in March where Lee Sung Kyung was accused of putting down Jo Hye Jung on Instagram.
The incident took place on March 24 when the cast of "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" did a commentary for the drama. During this activity, Jo Hye Jung went live on Instagram in order to communicate with fans. However, Lee Sung Kyung followed suit and also did her own live broadcast.
As Lee Sung Kyung had more followers on Instagram, her live broadcast gained more viewers. According to Koreaboo, someone pointed out that Lee Sung Kyung already had 25,000 viewers on her broadcast while Jo Hye Jung only had 1,112. Lee Sung Kyung was reportedly heard commenting, "Why do you look so down," which many assumed was directed towards Jo Hye Jung.
A couple of months since the controversy, Lee Sung Kyung addressed it in a statement, saying she and Jo Hye Jung were surprised to learn that the issue had exploded. According to Soompi, she explained that she and Jo Hye Jung are like Kim Bok Joo and Nan Hee in real life in that they both share a lot of memories together and care for each other dearly.
She added that she's not used to doing live broadcasts on Instagram, so when she saw Jo Hye Jung have such a good time, she decided to do her own live broadcast as well in order to interact with fans.
As to the comments she made towards Jo Hye Jung, she explained that she didn't intend for it to be mean or hurtful. "The comments I made that might read as potentially hurtful align with the joking banter that usually takes place between myself and Jo Hye Jung on set...We always bickered on set in a way that was cute and fun," the actress said. Lee Sung Kyung apologized for her action and promised to act more responsibly next time.