Actor Ryu Jun-yeol responds to criticism about greenwashing, relationships

Actor Ryu Jun-yeol addressed recent controversies regarding his dating life and greenwashing for the first time on Friday.

Actor Ryu Jun-yeol speaks during a press conference for the upcoming Netflix original series ″The 8 Show″ at the Ambassador Seoul-A Pullman Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Friday. [NEWS1]

Actor Ryu Jun-yeol addressed recent controversies regarding his dating life and greenwashing for the first time on Friday.

Greenwashing refers to misleading claims that an entity has a positive impact on the environment.

“I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media I didn't want to see, but I thought it would be best to handle all the criticism through staying quiet instead of replying to every single one of them,” he said during a press conference for the upcoming Netflix original series “The 8 Show” at the Ambassador Seoul-A Pullman Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul.

As for complaints that Ryu is ironically an ambassador for Greenpeace while being a golf fan, a sport that involves cutting down trees and using pesticides, he has “looked back" on his behavior.

“Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting,” he said, but added that he would prefer to elaborate on a separate occasion that would be more appropriate to talk about his personal matters.

“Today is about ‘The 8 Show,’ so I hope we can focus on that,” Ryu said.

March was a rough month for Ryu as his relationship with actor Han So-hee went public, and he was accused of being a two-timer to his ex-girlfriend of seven years, actor Hyeri. The relationship was also accused of being a rebound, all of which Han has denied. The couple has since parted ways.

Ryu was also called a greenwasher after appearing at golf games as a caddy or carrying a calfskin bag at a fashion event.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]