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| ▲ Actor Cho Jin-woong (Yonhap) |
actor-teenage wrongdoing
Actor Cho Jin-woong admits wrongdoing as teen, denies sexual assault allegations
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- Actor Cho Jin-woong's agency has acknowledged that the star engaged in misconduct during his youth but denied allegations linking him to a sexual assault.
Cho's agency, Saram Entertainment, said in a statement Friday that he "did commit wrongful acts during his teenage years" without elaborating on the specifics of the misconduct. It stressed, however, that these actions were unrelated to sexual violence, rejecting an online outlet's report that he had also been implicated in a sexual assault while in high school.
"It is difficult to confirm the full circumstances as more than 30 years have passed," the agency said. "We want to clearly state that it has nothing to do with sexual assault."
The statement came after online rumors surfaced alleging that Cho was involved in a car theft and sexual assault while in high school and subsequently served time in a juvenile detention facility.
The agency added an apology to anyone affected by Cho's past actions, saying, "We sincerely apologize to those who have suffered or been hurt."
The 49-year-old studied theater and film at a university in the southeastern city of Busan before starting his career on stage.
He made his film debut in "Spirit of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School" (2004) and gained critical acclaim for roles in films that include "Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time" (2012), "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (2014) and "Believer" (2018).
He also starred in the 2016 hit South Korean TV series "Signal" and is slated to reprise his role in the sequel to the drama, set for release next year.
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