Cho Jin Woong may be facing a massive financial blow after announcing his retirement over revelations of a past juvenile conviction. Industry sources say the penalty could climb past 10 billion won ($6.8 million).
According to a report on December 9th, insiders told Newsen that if tvN were to pursue a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Cho Jin Woong and his agency, the damages “could reach as high as 10 billion KRW.” One source noted that everything depends on the exact clauses in his contract, but warned that if tvN decides Cho is at fault, “the situation could get grim.” Another insider added that while some production staff may want to defend him, the network—bound by corporate and shareholder responsibilities—may have no choice but to take action.
Cho stars in the highly anticipated tvN drama The Second Signal, the 10-year follow-up to the acclaimed 2016 hit Signal and a major project commemorating tvN’s 20th anniversary. The eight-episode series finished filming in August and is currently in post-production.
However, once Cho’s juvenile record allegations surfaced on December 5th, he abruptly announced his retirement: “I accept all criticism and will end all activities as of today. This is a responsibility I must bear for my past wrongdoing.” Following the announcement, the broadcast has been indefinitely postponed.
The issue is especially severe because Cho Jin Woong carries the heaviest screen time among leads Kim Hye Soo, Cho Jin Woong, and Lee Je Hoon. Editing him out would destroy the narrative, meaning reshoots may be unavoidable. With hundreds of billions of won in production costs already spent—along with the efforts of cast and crew—production is now grappling with extremely limited options.
Major broadcasters have already begun what the Korean media calls “erasing Cho Jin Woong.” SBS replaced him as narrator for its four-part documentary War Against Gangs, and KBS pulled from public view the documentary episode Special Envoy Cho Jin Woong: Bringing General Hong Beom Do Home.
>> Cho Jin Woong’s High School Peer Claims Actor Was ‘More of a Victim,’ But Backlash Remains
Source (1)
