SBS has made private the documentary video it worked on with actor Jo Jin-woong.
On the 6th, SBS said regarding the SBS Special documentary 'War with the gangs,' for which Jo Jin-woong provided narration, that "the narration has been re-recorded" and that "measures are being taken for already aired episodes".
'War with the gangs' is an action reportage tracking transnational crime organizations that cross borders and the people who pursue them to the end, and part one aired on the 30th of last month. Jo Jin-woong joined the program as a presenter and had been providing the narration himself.
However, on the 5th, allegations emerged about crimes Jo Jin-woong allegedly committed as a minor, creating controversy. Dispatch reported that Jo Jin-woong committed a serious crime while in high school and received juvenile protective measures and was sent to a juvenile detention center. According to the report, Jo Jin-woong, along with a group of school bullies, stole a car that was left running on the roadside, drove it without a license, and attempted a sexual assault from the stolen vehicle, which led to his being sent to a juvenile detention center. In addition, after becoming an adult during his unknown-actor years he was fined for assault allegations, and it is also reported that his license was revoked for drunk driving.
In response, agency Saram Entertainment issued an official statement saying that "after checking with the actor, we confirmed that he committed wrongdoings during his minor years," but added that "this is based on partially confirmed facts, and because it was more than 30 years ago it is difficult to fully determine the circumstances, and related legal procedures have already concluded, so there are limits." The agency also drew a line by saying, "We make it clear that this is unrelated to any sexual assault-related acts."
Regarding the assault and drunk driving controversies from his unknown-actor days, they continued, "The actor himself takes very seriously and deeply reflects on the moments after becoming an adult when poor judgment caused concern. We sincerely apologize to all those who suffered harm and hurt because of the actor's past mistakes. We also apologize to those who supported Jo Jin-woong and were disappointed."
As Jo Jin-woong has partly acknowledged the juvenile offender allegations, the producers of 'War with the gangs' decided to replace the narrator. The previously released part one video has also disappeared from the SBS official website.
Also, the KBS documentary in which Jo Jin-woong himself appeared and depicted General Hong Beom-do's life and the process of repatriating his remains, 'People's envoy Jo Jin-woong brings back General Hong Beom-do,' was also confirmed to have been made private on KBS's official YouTube channel. The video had been public until the day before, but measures appear to have been taken after Jo Jin-woong partly acknowledged allegations of crimes committed as a minor.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]