'Jingman' Hwang Cheolsun's Handwritten Letter Reveals... "Lost 23kg in Detention, Became Spider-Shaped Body"

Detained in Seoul Detention Center on Charges of Assaulting Partner

Broadcaster and bodybuilder Hwang Cheol-soon, who is currently detained in a detention center on charges of assaulting his partner, shared an update through a handwritten letter.

On the 23rd, Hwang Cheol-soon uploaded a 7-minute and 41-second video titled "I am sorry, and thank you" on his YouTube channel. The video included a letter he wrote himself from the detention center. In the letter, he wrote, "Despite the record-breaking heat this summer, I spent a harsh time of reflection and introspection in a space barely three pyeong (approximately 9.9 square meters) with seven adult men, skin-to-skin," adding, "Currently, amid record-breaking snowfall and subzero temperatures, I take cold showers more than twice a day to straighten my mental state and spend time atoning."

He continued, "While serving my sentence, I came to accept the harsh reality that I have no choice but to retire, and this led me into a deep dilemma with depression, feeling both humiliation and emptiness," and added, "For those who want me to return with my skills and have waited, I want to reignite my will after release and repay with sincerity."

He confessed, "I believe everything is karma resulting from my actions, and after several months in the detention center, I feel like I have shed all the tears of my life here." He also said, "Since my admission, I have lost over 23 kilograms and have had to endure days of extreme stress and suffering," adding, "Even bodyweight exercises are strictly prohibited here. For a bodybuilder to not be able to do bodyweight exercises is tantamount to a death sentence." He then revealed his shocking current condition, saying, "Protein intake is limited to just one pack of tuna per day, which is ridiculously insufficient, and my body has become spider-shaped with skinny arms and legs and only my belly protruding."

Hwang Cheol-soon said, "I am now stigmatized as a criminal through various media and mass communication, making it virtually impossible to continue my past influencer activities. I want to return to being a beginner in society and start over from the bottom with exercise and ordinary work," concluding his letter with, "I will accept all harsh criticism, nagging, and hopeful messages, reflect deeply, and greet you again next year."

Hwang Cheol-soon was prosecuted for repeatedly punching and kicking his partner A’s face and head more than 20 times on October 16 last year at a building in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do. The first trial court sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered his immediate detention. However, in the appeal trial, his sentence was reduced to nine months in prison because "he admitted to all crimes and showed remorse by writing several letters of apology," and Hwang gave up his appeal.

From 2011 to 2016, Hwang Cheol-soon gained popularity appearing on tvN's "Comedy Big League" as the "Jing Man," boasting his muscular physique and ringing a gong at the end of each segment. However, in 2015, he was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year probation for assaulting a man in his 30s at a restaurant in Gangnam. During his probation period in 2016, he was caught by police for drunk driving, causing a series of controversies. In 2021, he was fined 5 million won after being booked by police for assaulting two men in their 20s who filmed him with a cellphone on a street in Gangnam, Seoul, and breaking their phones. Currently, his YouTube channel has 657,000 subscribers.