Martin Kove apologises for biting co-star

WEB DESK: Cobra Kai star Martin Kove has issued a public apology to his co-star Alicia Hannah-Kim following an incident at a fan convention where he allegedly bit her.

Kove, 78, who plays the intense John Kreese in Netflix’s hit series, expressed regret in a statement shared with Deadline. “I deeply regret and apologise for my actions regarding the incident with Alicia [Hannah-Kim], a genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position,” he stated.

He acknowledged Hannah-Kim as a “highly professional and talented co-worker”, adding, “I was being playful in the moment but went too far. There is absolutely no excuse for my behaviour. I take full responsibility and again apologise to her and her husband. I’m committed to learning from this and it will never happen again.”

The incident took place at Summer Con in Puyallup, Washington, where, according to a police report, Kove allegedly grabbed Hannah-Kim’s arm and bit her hard enough to leave visible teeth marks and cause bruising.

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Hannah-Kim, who joined Cobra Kai in Season 5 as Kim Da-Eun, left the area and returned with her husband, actor Sebastian Roché, who confronted Kove. Police bodycam footage later showed Kove admitting to the act, saying he thought it was a playful gesture.

“I apologize. I was just playing because we’re very playful together, and I bit down too hard,” Kove explained in the footage.

However, Hannah-Kim pushed back strongly, stating, “No. We do not play like that. And right now, Martin, I am really pissed. You have left a mark on my body, which in your 80-year-old brain you think is play. Sir, were you raised in a ditch?”

She further criticised Kove for yelling at her after the incident, adding, “The audacity. How dare you, sir?”

Though visibly upset, Hannah-Kim chose not to press charges. She did, however, request that the event be documented by police to ensure, in her words, “he cannot ever do this to me again.”

Martin Kove, who has been a regular presence in the Karate Kid universe since the 1980s, acknowledged during the police interaction, “I was indulging in something very improper by doing that. I’m very sincerely sorry.”