On January 15, a surprising piece of news was reported that garnered much attention from Korean netizens. The report revealed that former F.T. Island member Choi Jong Hoon would resume activities in the Japanese entertainment industry.

According to reports, Choi Jong Hoon has established an account on Japan's premier fan community platform, 'FANICON.' This platform enables fans to interact with celebrities, requiring a monthly subscription fee of 500 KRW (approximately $4).

He also shared a message on the platform saying, "It's been about 5 years since I greeted you all. I drew strength from each of your messages, allowing me to show a healthier version of myself. I am truly thankful. In the future, I want to share everything about what I want to do and my personal life. I will make an effort to create a bright future with all of you. Please support me. Thank you in advance."

Korean netizens strongly disapprove of this news, given Choi Jong Hoon's previous legal troubles. In 2016, he faced prosecution for group sexual assault and the illegal filming of an intoxicated woman, incidents that occurred in locations such as Gangwon Hongcheon in January and Daegu in March of the same year. Following a conviction, he served a 2-year and 6-month prison sentence and was released on parole in November 2021.

Korean netizens commented in the article, "You can't fix old habits," "His mother is the problem," "Wow, he's crazy. He's a convict," "He's a sexual offender...he's been in prison for more than two years," "He shouldn't be on TV," "He is so shameless," "He shouldn't have said anything about religion... Does his mom think that God won't punish her kid?" "He should just go get a regular job," and "Can't you live your life quietly, out of the public's eyes?"

Korean netizens on social media commented, "Is he not ashamed?" "Your mom said you would devote your life to your god, but now you're going to Japan to earn money?" "Is he going to Japan to bring shame to Korea?" "He shouldn't come out to the public for life," "Just don't come back to Korea. AV is legal there so he can do that since he likes it so much," "I guess his mom told him to resume activities in Japan, lol," "He ran out of money so he's going to Japan," "That's very brazen of him," "I'm more surprised there are fans who still support a sexual offender. I guess they all don't feel any shame," and "I hope he gets rejected in Japan too, lol."