Actor Jo Jinwoong has announced that he will retire and suspend all activities due to misconduct that occurred during his teenage years.
Actor Jo Jinwoong is delivering his acceptance speech after receiving the 'Busan Favorite Filmmaker Award' at the '29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Eve Event' held on October 1 last year at the special stage in Biff Square, Jung-gu, Busan. Photo by Yonhap News
On the afternoon of December 6, Jo Jinwoong's agency, Saram Entertainment, released his official statement regarding the matter.
Jo Jinwoong said, "I deeply apologize for disappointing everyone who has trusted and supported me due to my past misconduct. I humbly accept all criticism and, as of today, will suspend my acting career."
He continued, "I believe this is the responsibility and duty I must bear for my past mistakes. I promise to do my best to reflect and stand upright as a person from now on. Once again, I sincerely apologize."
The previous day, an entertainment media outlet reported allegations that Jo Jinwoong had committed car theft and sexual assault during his high school years, resulting in time spent at a juvenile detention center. The report also speculated that his use of his father's name as a stage name, instead of his real name Jo Wonjun, was related to this background.
In response, his agency stated, "After confirming with the actor, we acknowledge that there was wrongful behavior during his teenage years. However, it is difficult to fully ascertain the details of events that happened more than 30 years ago. We want to make it clear that he was not involved in any acts related to sexual assault."
Jo Jinwoong graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Kyungsung University in Busan and made his film debut in 2004 with "Once Upon a Time in High School." He has since been active in films such as "A Dirty Carnival" (2006), "Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time" (2012), "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (2014), and "Believer" (2018). tvN is scheduled to air the drama "Second Signal," starring Jo Jinwoong, next year.
Below is the full text of Jo Jinwoong's statement.
Hello, this is actor Jo Jinwoong.
First of all, I bow my head in apology for disappointing everyone who has trusted and supported me due to my past misconduct. I humbly accept all criticism, and as of today, I will suspend all activities and bring my acting career to an end.
I believe this is the responsibility and duty I must bear for my past mistakes. From now on, I will do my utmost to reflect and stand upright as a person. Once again, I sincerely apologize.
I am grateful to everyone I have loved and respected.
I am truly sorry.
Sincerely, Jo Jinwoong
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
