Jo Jin Woong Partially Admits, Partially Denies Robbery And Sexual Assault Allegations

Actor Jo Jin Woong’s agency has clarified allegations that he was formerly in a juvenile detention center.

On the 5th, his agency, Saram Entertainment, issued an official statement saying, “After confirming with the actor, we verified that he did engage in wrongful behavior during his minor years,” partially acknowledging the controversy.

Earlier on the same day, Dispatch reported that Jo Jin Woong was involved in a serious crime during high school and had been sent to a juvenile detention center. Sources alleged that Jo participated in a gang’s vehicle theft and sexual assault, was tried in criminal court, and subsequently detained in a juvenile facility.

Dispatch Reveals Popular K-Drama Actor’s Dark Past As A “Robber And Rapist”

They also claimed to have obtained testimonies indicating that during his university years and early career, Jo had a record of assault and drunk driving. He reportedly received a fine for assaulting a colleague during his theater troupe days and had his license revoked for drunk driving.

In response, Saram Entertainment had stated that they were verifying the facts. Following investigation, some of the reported details have been confirmed as true.

However, the agency clarified, “These are based on partly confirmed facts from more than 30 years ago, making it difficult to fully verify the circumstances. The related legal procedures have already been concluded, so there are inherent limitations.” They emphasized, “We want to clearly state that these incidents have no relation to any acts of sexual assault.”

The agency added, “The actor himself takes full responsibility and deeply reflects on the moments of poor judgment that caused concern even after reaching adulthood. We sincerely apologize to anyone who has been hurt or affected by the actor’s past mistakes. We also regret disappointing those who have supported Jo Jin Woong.”

Furthermore, the agency requested understanding regarding Jo’s use of his father’s name as a stage name, saying, “This was not intended to hide his past, but rather stemmed from his genuine resolve to become a better person through self-promise. We earnestly ask for your generous understanding.”

Below is the full official statement from Saram Entertainment.

“Hello, this is Saram Entertainment.

We sincerely apologize for the delayed response regarding the reports about actor Jo Jin Woong, and we would like to share our official position.

After confirming with the actor, we verified that he did engage in wrongful behavior during his minor years.

However, since these are based on partly confirmed facts from more than 30 years ago, it is difficult to fully ascertain the details, and the relevant legal proceedings have already been completed, presenting limitations.

We want to clearly state that these incidents are unrelated to any acts of sexual assault.

The actor himself also takes full responsibility and deeply reflects on the moments of poor judgment that caused concern even after becoming an adult.

We sincerely apologize to anyone who has been harmed or hurt by the actor’s past mistakes.

We also apologize for disappointing those who have supported Jo Jin Woong.

The actor’s use of his father’s name as a stage name was not to conceal the past, but arose from his sincere determination to become a better person through self-commitment. We earnestly ask for your generous understanding.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing concern.”