Actor Jo Jin-woong (49) partially acknowledged the allegation that he received juvenile protection measures for crimes committed as a teenager, saying "there were wrongdoings during his minor years." However, he drew a clear line, saying that some of the sexual assault-related allegations raised are not true.
On the 5th, Jo Jin-woong's agency, Saram Entertainment, said in an official statement, "As confirmed with the actor, we verified that there were wrongdoings during his minor years." It added, "This is based on some confirmed facts, and because the events occurred more than 30 years ago it is difficult to fully ascertain the exact circumstances, and related legal procedures have already been concluded, so there are limits."
But it emphasized, "We clearly state that these acts are unrelated to sexual assault."
The agency also mentioned that Jo Jin-woong had controversies after becoming an adult, including a fine and a driving under the influence record, saying, "The actor himself is taking very seriously and reflecting deeply on the moments that caused concern due to poor judgment." It bowed its head and said, "We sincerely apologize to everyone who suffered harm and hurt because of the actor's past actions."
Regarding speculation that Jo Jin-woong used his father's name as a stage name instead of his given name 'Jo Won-jun' to hide past crimes, the agency denied this.
The agency said, "It was not intended to hide the past, but came from a resolution to become a better person as a pledge to himself," and asked people to understand Jo Jin-woong's sincerity.
Earlier that day, Dispatch reported based on tips that Jo Jin-woong was involved in car theft and other acts as a high school student and lived in a juvenile detention center. It also raised past records including a fine for assaulting a theater troupe colleague in 2003 and a history of drunk driving, and added speculation that the use of a stage name was for these reasons, which amplified the fallout.
Jo Jin-woong, who graduated from the Dept. of Theater and Film at Kyungsung University in Busan, built his career on the theater stage. After debuting in the 2004 film 'Maljukgeori: The Cruel Story of Maljukgeori', he showed a strong presence in numerous works such as 'A Dirty Carnival', 'The War on Crime', The Admiral: Roaring Currents, and Believer, establishing himself as one of Chungmuro's representative character actors.
He gained popular affection for his role as Detective Lee Jae-han in tvN's 'Signal' in 2016, and next year the follow-up 'The Second Signal', featuring the original main cast, is scheduled to air.
[Photo] OSEN DB, 'Signal' poster
[OSEN]