Claims have surfaced that Jo Jin-woong committed assault even after starting his acting career, following controversy over him as a "juvenile offender."
According to the entertainment industry on the 8th, documentary film director Heo Cheol revealed on his social media (SNS) on the 7th, saying, "There is someone who punched me in the face in 2014," identifying the person as "actor Jo Jin-woong."
Heo said, "Actor Jo, who was sitting next to me, suddenly hit me for no reason," adding, "I met actor Jo Jin-woong for the first time that day and simply couldn't understand it," as he recounted the situation.
Heo added, "(Jo Jin-woong) said he didn't remember and did not apologize even after several days. Since then, whenever I see his face on screen, I turn it off."
Actor A also recently alleged Jo Jin-woong's assault to entertainment outlets. A said they "witnessed Jo Jin-woong, a senior, slapping a younger male actor a few years ago and making him do discipline drills."
This contrasts with opinions emerging from the legal community and elsewhere, which cite the Juvenile Act's principle of non-disclosure of juvenile cases to argue that "it is wrong to take issue now with mistakes of the past," after Jo Jin-woong's history as a "juvenile offender" resurfaced.
A domestic online outlet recently reported that even after Jo Jin-woong became active as a lead actor, he had a history of assaulting veteran colleague actor B on a film set while they were appearing together.
At the time, Jo Jin-woong assaulted veteran colleague actor B with whom he was appearing, and when the enraged B left the set saying, "I can't do this," and went home, Jo only then apologized, saying, "I'm sorry," the report said.
Earlier, Jo Jin-woong became embroiled in controversy over a history of receiving juvenile protection measures for a serious crime in high school. On top of that, revelations that he had prior records of assault and drunk driving fueled public criticism.
Jo Jin-woong announced his retirement on the 6th. He said, "I bow my head in apology for disappointing everyone who trusted and supported me due to disgraceful incidents in the past."
Regarding Jo Jin-woong's retirement, fellow actor Jung Jun dissuaded him, saying, "If we had to wear our wrongdoings on our faces to live, no one would be able to stand before the public."
Attorney Kim Kyung-ho of Hoin Law Firm said, "The intent of the Juvenile Act is that society agreed to treat a minor's mistake as 'a chance to start over,'" adding, "Jo Jin-woong lived a rehabilitated life."
Meanwhile, his agency, Saram Entertainment, said that day, "Jo Jin-woong has ended all entertainment activities and retired, so we have nothing to say," adding, "We ask for your understanding that it is difficult to convey a position on this matter."