Cho Jin-woong Admits Juvenile Offender Past and Announces Retirement, Ending 20-Year Acting Career

Article17 days ago

Korean actor Cho Jin-woong has admitted to misconduct committed as a juvenile and announced his retirement from the entertainment industry. Through his agency and a personal statement on December 6, he said he will halt all activities, calling this decision his responsibility for past wrongdoings.

Source: Instagram @chojinwoong.actor (Reel reposting news coverage after allegations about his high school past surfaced)

According to Korean media reports, Cho Jin-woong released an official statement through his agency Saram Entertainment on December 6, acknowledging that he committed wrongdoing during his high school years and apologizing to those who were harmed and to viewers who had trusted and supported him. In his message, he said he would humbly accept all criticism and halt his acting activities as of that day, calling it the responsibility and duty he must bear for his past actions. The agency added that, after checking with the actor, it confirmed misconduct during his youth but stressed that allegations related to sexual assault were not true, and that more than 30 years have passed since the case, with all legal procedures already concluded, making it difficult to reconstruct every detail.

The controversy unfolded in three main stages. On December 5, an entertainment outlet reported that during high school Cho Jin-woong had been involved in serious offenses such as car theft with his peers, faced criminal charges under the Special Act for robbery and rape, and spent part of his senior year in a juvenile facility. The report also mentioned a 2003 assault case against a theater colleague and a drunk driving incident after filming the movie 'Once Upon a Time in High School.' After the story broke, he reposted a related TV news clip on his Instagram account, saying he would remain neutral until an official announcement but expressing hope that the reports were untrue. On December 6, his agency first acknowledged that he had indeed behaved wrongly as a minor while denying involvement in sexual assault. Later the same day, Cho released a handwritten statement apologizing and formally declaring the end of his acting career, marking the decisive turning point in the case.

Dec 5: Reports allege serious crimes committed by Cho Jin-woong in high school and mention later assault and drunk-driving records.
Evening of Dec 5: He reposts a TV news clip on Instagram Reels, saying he will stay neutral until an official statement while hoping the reports are false.
Dec 6: His agency confirms youth misconduct but denies sexual assault allegations; that evening Cho issues a handwritten statement announcing the end of his acting career.

## 【KStarLoud Insight】 This case underscores how sensitive the Korean entertainment industry has become toward criminal records and juvenile offenses. Public sentiment allows little tolerance for violence- or sex-related crimes, meaning that once an actor is named, moral scrutiny can follow regardless of how much time has passed. At the same time, Cho’s initial Instagram reaction—hoping the news was false—followed by a rapid shift to admission and retirement the next day has led to mixed views on his sincerity. Beyond the immediate impact on completed dramas and documentaries that must now be re-edited or rescheduled, the industry will likely continue debating where to draw the line between an artist’s past and the possibility of future activities.