The agency representing Jung Dong-won bowed its head over allegations of unlicensed driving while he was a minor.
On the 11th, Jung Dong-won's agency, Showplay Entertainment, issued an official statement saying, "We bow our heads and apologize for the recent unsavory incident involving our artist Jung Dong-won."
It was reported that Jung Dong-won was transferred to the prosecution on charges of driving a car without a license in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2023 when he was 16, which provoked shock.
They added, "Last year, A, who had been an acquaintance of Jung Dong-won, took Jung Dong-won's cellphone from his home, and A and other acquaintances illegally accessed the photo album on the phone that contained Jung Dong-won's private life," and explained, "Afterward, A and others repeatedly threatened him, saying, "There is a video of Jung Dong-won driving without a license." Jung Dong-won practiced driving for about 10 minutes on mountain roads near his hometown in Hadong, and a passenger filmed that scene."
The agency said, "The extortionists claimed the video was evidence of Jung Dong-won's unlicensed driving and threatened him to hand over more than 200 million won as payment for silence, but Jung Dong-won refused and did not give them money," and added, "Jung Dong-won immediately regretted his wrongdoing, resolved to accept legal punishment, reported the extortion ring to the police, and the extortionists are currently detained and on trial."
They also emphasized, "Jung Dong-won deeply regrets and reflects on the mistake of practicing driving without a license," and said, "We will use this incident as an opportunity to do our best in management and education so that our artist can grow into a more mature and responsible member of society. We will also thoroughly guide him to prevent such unsavory incidents from occurring in the future."
Below is the agency's full official statement
Hello. This is Showplay Entertainment, the agency of Jung Dong-won.
First, we bow our heads and apologize for the recent unsavory incident involving our artist Jung Dong-won.
Last year, A, who had been an acquaintance of Jung Dong-won, took Jung Dong-won's cellphone from his home, and A and acquaintances illegally accessed the photo album on the phone that contained Jung Dong-won's private life.
Afterward, A and others repeatedly threatened him, saying, "There is a video of Jung Dong-won driving without a license." Jung Dong-won practiced driving for about 10 minutes on mountain roads near his hometown in Hadong, and a passenger filmed that scene.
The extortionists claimed the video was evidence of Jung Dong-won's unlicensed driving and threatened him to hand over more than 200 million won as payment for silence, but Jung Dong-won refused and did not give them money.
Jung Dong-won immediately regretted his wrongdoing, resolved to accept legal punishment, reported the extortion ring to the police, and the extortionists are currently detained and on trial.
Jung Dong-won deeply regrets and reflects on the mistake of practicing driving without a license.
We will use this incident as an opportunity to do our best in management and education so that our artist can grow into a more mature and responsible member of society. We will also thoroughly guide him to prevent such unsavory incidents from occurring in the future.
Finally, we sincerely apologize once again to the fans who love Jung Dong-won and to the public.
Showplay Entertainment
[Photo] OSEN DB
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