[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Recently, text message conversations presumed to be between actor Joo Jin-mo and another male actor were leaked, prompting novelist Gong Ji-young to criticize the situation.
On the 13th, Gong posted on her Facebook, saying, "Honestly, I didn't want to mention it because it's an illegal leak," but raised her voice, asking, "What, power harassment sex trade targeting aspiring celebrities? Jang Dong-gun too?"
She continued, "Is the pinnacle of success and wealth achieved with such effort just this?" and added, "I urge the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Center to respond firmly."
Earlier, on the 7th, Joo Jin-mo's agency, Vibe Brothers Korea, released an official statement acknowledging the hacking incident. The agency stated, "Because they are celebrities, their privacy is being invaded, and they are being maliciously threatened with the disclosure of personal information to media outlets," adding, "They have even been asked for money in exchange for this."
Subsequently, on the 10th, photos containing parts of text messages presumed to be between Joo Jin-mo and male actor A were posted on various online communities.
According to the released photos, the two exchanged photos of several women and made sexual remarks while evaluating their appearances. It was also reported that they arranged meetings with other women.
As the controversy spread through SNS and other channels, the agency indicated a strong response in an official statement that day, saying, "All acts of creating, posting, or distributing rumors are subject to legal punishment."
The civic group Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center (HanSaSeong) posted a statement on their official Facebook page that day, criticizing the situation.
HanSaSeong stated, "Text messages between male actor A and Joo Jin-mo were hacked and made public online. The disclosed messages included evidence of power harassment sex trade targeting aspiring celebrities in private, referring to women as 'kids' and making detailed evaluations of their faces and bodies, obscene language, and recordings presumed to have been leaked without consent."
They added, "In the world you created, men say, 'Joo Jin-mo was single at the time, so an adult man can meet some women,' which is a conversation among 'successful men,' saying, 'Who is there that won't get caught if you dig into them?' and 'Men are all like that.' You also claim to be 'victims of privacy leaks'."
They further stated, "Joo Jin-mo, but the world has changed. Women no longer allow such things. There is a social consensus that such private matters cannot be tolerated," and criticized, "The dirty culture of sexual exploitation you have enjoyed and the gender power that made it possible will be dismantled along with your status."
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