Actor Ryu Jun-yeol's Greenpeace role under fire due to his passion for golf

Actor Ryu Jun-yeol stars in an environmental campaign video produced by Greenpeace last April. The video is titled ″I am a polar bear.″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Greenpeace, an international environmental organization, came under fire in Korea for selecting actor Ryu Jun-yeol as its celebrity ambassador to promote its campaign.

Critics accuse Ryu of enjoying golf, a sport involving cutting down many trees and pesticide usage, calling his behavior "greenwashing." Greenwashing refers to the misleading action or behavior of presenting certain subjects as environmentally friendly.

Greenpeace said Thursday that it will “review internal policies” while defending Ryu’s involvement in the campaign as a “volunteering activity based on one’s good deed.” The organization said it is currently checking the inquiries and complaints from other supporters and donors.

Ryu joined a campaign dubbed “I am a polar bear” to raise awareness of climate change and to endorse the missions of Greenpeace last April.

Critics have suggested that Ryu’s message on climate change is not aligned with his interest in golf.

Some people who sponsored the group wrote that they would “cancel” their donations on their X accounts, formerly known as Twitter.

“I should tell the NGO that I do not want to support them because of the ambassador who ruins the environment just because of golf,” another user wrote. Other users accused Ryu of “contradictory behavior.”

“The actor has been together with Greenpeace since 2016,” the activist group said. “Greenpeace named him as the first Greenpeace East-Asia’s celebrity ambassador last April to actively carry out various environmental campaigns. He has been sponsoring the group.”

Ryu admitted his relationship with fellow actor Han So-hee on March 16.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]