Shin Jung-hwan Spills the Beans on His Beer Joint Endorsement: 'I Wouldn't Promote It If It Wasn't Delicious!'

Singer and broadcaster Shin Jung-hwan has revealed the behind-the-scenes story of how he came to be the model for a local beer pub.

In a phone call with OSEN on the 3rd, Shin Jung-hwan explained the reason for his endorsement, stating, "A close representative friend of mine runs a franchise, and I visited to try the food. The main dish was so delicious that I told him, 'I want to be the model.'"

He further elaborated that he's not just passively modeling but actively involved in sales and marketing. "Many celebrities promote places as if they own them, but I'm just the promotional model, and the representative is in charge," he said. "I took on sales and marketing, hoping it would be of some help."

The pub's representative also expressed strong trust in Shin Jung-hwan. He posted a lengthy message on social media, saying, "People ask, 'Why Shin Jung-hwan?' We reply, 'Because Bul-OOO never takes the ordinary path.' An unexpected casting, many misunderstandings and twists, but a man who ultimately turned it all around with laughter and entertainment. A man who has been to the bottom, even underground tunnels. His intensely spicy life story resembles the taste of Bul-OOO. Somewhere between absurdity and sincerity, he throws in laughter lightly but bets his life on the taste."

Shin Jung-hwan responded, "I felt so grateful for the trust he showed me, which is why I'm actively involved. If the taste wasn't good, I wouldn't have felt like promoting it so openly. I was confident in the taste, thinking, 'At least I won't get criticized.'"

Notably, Shin Jung-hwan's promotional videos cleverly incorporated humor related to his past overseas gambling controversy. In one clip, he asks a YouTuber who claims not to know how to play Hwatu, "What don't you know? Stay?" and later reacts defensively to mentions of the Philippines and dengue fever, humorously referencing his past legal troubles.

This reinterpretion plays on the controversy surrounding his overseas gambling charges in 2010, where he faced criticism for falsely claiming to be hospitalized with dengue fever in the Philippines.

Regarding the use of his past image for promotions, Shin Jung-hwan mentioned, "It was originally more direct, but I asked them to tone it down." He added, "The videos currently getting many views were among those where the influencers wrote their own scripts and filmed."

He also commented, "It's not like I suddenly reappeared after 15 years. Those who have been watching know I've been on Instagram and YouTube for a long time. They know my character and image, so I just filmed comfortably. Everyone already knows."

Finally, he shared his candid feelings: "Regarding the gambling image continuing for 15 years, I consider it a lifelong scarlet letter. I have no desire to hide it or resent it." He concluded, "In an era where authenticity is trendy, it was comfortable to film it this way."

Netizens are reacting positively to Shin Jung-hwan's approach of turning past controversies into humor for promotions, with comments like "As expected of Shin Jung-hwan," "Bold marketing, but it's funny," and "Honesty seems to have worked."