Actor Jung Woo-sung steps down from being UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

Actor Jung Woo-sung stepped down from being a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on July 3 after nine years of service.

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Actor Jung Woo-sung stepped down from being a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on July 3 after nine years of service.

As a Goodwill Ambassador, Jung had actively engaged in various events both in and outside the country, visiting major conflict areas such as Lebanon, South Sudan, Rohingya and Poland.

"I was concerned that the image of the UNHCR Korea office and myself were becoming too closely intertwined," said Jung to the local media outlet Hankyoreh21 on July 15. "Constant political attacks were directed at both the organization and myself, leading to assumptions that I was involved for political reasons, which was not good for either of us."

The actor faced public criticism from people opposing the acceptance of Yemeni refugees in Jeju in 2018, after posting on social media asking people to stand with refugees on World Refugee Day. At the time, he was labeled a "hypocrite," and there were harsh remarks like, "Protect the refugees with Jung's money."

"Looking at Korean society, it seems that we have never accurately identified and resolved the causes and damages of various social disasters such as the Jeju April 3 Incident and the Sewol Ferry disaster," said Jung. "Thus, our citizens seem to maintain a distance from others' suffering. I thought that people who feel uneasy about refugees might do so because they have not received proper protection as members of society."

"Although Yemeni refugees left Jeju Island and moved inland, no serious crimes, as some feared, were reported," said Jung. "There were also concerns about an increase in sexual crimes and religious conflicts, but none of those occurred."

"I will return to acting and carry on as an actor," Jung said, when asked about his future plans. "There are still many issues concerning minorities in our society that I am interested in and stories that need to be shared, so I plan to pay more attention to them."

"By seeing an actor like myself travel to refugee camps around the world every year and talk about refugees, people's perceptions and understanding seem to have become clearer," he said. "However, I don't think I am in a position to evaluate whether that impact has been positive for people."

Jung starred in film “12.12: The Day” (2023) alongside actors Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon and Kim Sung-kyun. The film is directed by Kim Sung-su, who is known for films such as “Beat” (1997), “Musa” (2001) and “Asura: The City of Madness” (2016).

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]