Actor Jo Byung-gyu’s appeals trial in the damages lawsuit against the person who accused him of school bullying will begin this August — reigniting a highly divisive controversy.
According to Star News on the 17th, the 13-3 Civil Division of the Seoul High Court will hold the first hearing of the appeals trial on August 28 for the damages lawsuit Jo filed against “A,” who raised school-bullying allegations about him. The appeals proceedings will differ slightly from the first trial. HB Entertainment, Jo’s former agency that had been listed as a co-plaintiff in the first trial, is no longer part of the appeal, and the claimed damages have reportedly been reduced from about 4 billion won to around 900 million won.
The allegations date back to 2021, when “A” posted on social media claiming they were bullied by Jo during his study-abroad years in New Zealand. Jo’s side firmly denied the claims as baseless and pursued legal action, which led to both a defamation complaint and a high-value civil damages suit.
However, the first trial ruled against Jo. Last year, the 37th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the entire damages claim — roughly 4 billion won — that Jo and then-agency HB Entertainment had filed against “A.” The court also ordered the plaintiffs to bear the litigation costs.
Jo’s camp argued that the exposé post severely damaged his reputation and caused major financial losses, including being dropped from advertising deals and exiting projects. But the court found that the evidence Jo submitted was insufficient to conclude that “A”s post was false.
In particular, written statements from Jo’s acquaintances were not accepted as decisive proof. The court said testimony from domestic acquaintances or people connected to Jo’s time in New Zealand alone was not enough to verify the facts of incidents said to have occurred overseas. It added that some witnesses appeared to be personally close to Jo, making their statements inadequate to prove “A”s claims were false. After losing the first trial, Jo immediately appealed, setting the stage for another courtroom battle.
Following the allegations, Jo stepped down from ongoing projects and saw his activities take a hit. He returned in 2023 through the tvN drama The Uncanny Counter 2: Counter Punch. At the production press conference, Jo stated, “I’m doing everything I can to fully explain that the claims are not true.”