Comedian and movie director Shim Hyung-rae came under a hailstorm of criticism on Monday after a picture emerged of him sitting at a nightclub with supposedly underage girls.

Earlier in the day, a young woman uploaded a photo that she said was of herself with Shim. The photo shows Shim and scantily-clad girls sitting in what appears to be a private room at a nightclub with alcohol and food placed on the table in front of him.

There was a furor among netizens when it was learned that the person who uploaded the photo is 18 years old, one year younger than the legal drinking age. They berated the 55-year-old comedian for apparently spending time at an obvious adult establishment with an underage person.

Amid the controversy, the person who uploaded the photo said that she and her friends just took a photo with him and did not drink.

“We just took a photo with Shim, said thank you and left,” she said.

Despite her explanation, many people also bashed Shim for drinking at what looked to be a pricey nightclub when he was supposed to be broke.

A Seoul court in August declared Shim bankrupt, which exempted him from having to pay off his debt.

(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)