Actor Jo Jin-woong has been engulfed in allegations that he is a former juvenile offender, drawing attention to The Second Signal (hereafter Signal 2), which has already finished filming.
On the 5th, Dispatch reported that Jo Jin-woong committed a serious crime during high school and received a juvenile protection disposition, resulting in transfer to a juvenile detention center.
According to the report, Jo Jin-woong, along with a gang, stole a parked vehicle and was implicated in sexual assault, and in his second year of high school he faced criminal trial for robbery and rape under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. As a result of this incident, Jo Jin-woong and others were transferred to a juvenile detention center, and Jo Jin-woong spent his third-year class time in a correctional institution.
Afterward, Jo Jin-woong entered Kyungsung University's department of theater and film around 1996 and began his acting career. However, it was reported that even during his unknown-actor days he was involved in assault disputes and drunk driving. In particular, speculation has continued that the reason Jo Jin-woong uses his father's name, Jo Jin-woong, rather than his given name Jo Won-jun, is an intention to erase his past.
After the allegations surfaced, Jo Jin-woong's agency, Saram Entertainment, said it is "checking the facts of the reported content. We will announce an official position after clearly identifying the facts."
As past allegations about Jo Jin-woong emerged, attention has focused on tvN's new drama Signal 2, in which he appears. Signal 2 is the long-awaited follow-up to Signal, coming 10 years after the original and scheduled to air in 2026, and stars Jo Jin-woong as well as Kim Hye-soo and Lee Je-hoon.
Signal 2, which began filming in February, finished filming in August. Ahead of next year's broadcast, it was mentioned as one of the flagship dramas for the 20th anniversary at CJ ENM Content Talk 2025, and Kim Hye-soo's greeting video was released, raising fans' expectations.
Jo Jin-woong has finished filming as hard-hitting detective Lee Jae-han. Attention is on when Jo Jin-woong's side will issue a statement that could affect not only his acting career but also a highly anticipated work.
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