[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Chef Choi Hyun-seok, who clarified allegations of cellphone hacking and contract forgery, was unable to appear on the KBS2 show 'Boss Ear is Donkey Ear' (hereafter 'Donkey Ear') on the 19th.
On that day, the production team of 'Donkey Ear' stated, "On the 17th, there was a report regarding an incident involving one of our cast members, Chef Choi Hyun-seok. Chef Choi has expressed that the legal issues related to the reported incident have already been resolved."
They added, "At this point, further fact-checking is necessary," and "Considering the potential secondary damage that could occur to the general cast members appearing together, it was decided that Chef Choi Hyun-seok will not appear in the broadcast on the 19th."
They continued, "We will decide on future broadcasts after monitoring the situation."
Earlier, on the 17th, entertainment media 'Dispatch' reported that Choi Hyun-seok allegedly downplayed the damage caused by past cellphone hacking and forged a contract against his former agency, Plating Company, to transfer to another agency earlier than the contracted period.
In response, on the 18th, Choi Hyun-seok issued an official statement through his current agency, Weple E&D, saying, "It is true that there was a cellphone hacking incident around August 2018," and "The hacked data contained personal information about my private life, family, and acquaintances."
He explained, "Fearing secondary damage that could affect my family and acquaintances, we followed formal procedures and requested an investigation from the authorities, and we were notified that the case was closed."
Regarding the contract forgery allegations, he clarified, "Legal action was taken last year, but afterwards, we understood each other's positions and drafted a mutual agreement. Currently, the legal action has been withdrawn."
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