[theqoo] [DISPATCH] "THERE'S NO CRIME WORTH FORGETTING"... JO JINWOONG'S PAST WAS A SIGNAL

Actor A described Jo Jinwoong as a “trauma.”

In the 201X film wrap-up party. At the time, A was still a rookie. He had appeared in the movie in a minor role and naturally attended the gathering.

The problem arose during the second round at a karaoke bar. Jo Jinwoong told A to sing a certain song. A said, “I don’t know that song. I’m sorry.”

Then Jo Jinwoong threw ice from an ice bucket toward A’s face. Claiming, “A junior is ignoring me when I tell him to sing,” he rushed at him.

Fortunately, the director, actors, and staff stopped him, and the situation ended there. But the shock, hurt, and humiliation A experienced stayed with him throughout his acting career.

And it wasn’t just A. Actors B and C, and managers D and E also reported to Dispatch, saying they were “slapped and kicked at drinking gatherings.”

A film industry insider who had worked with Jo Jinwoong said this:

“The past is a problem, but the fact that it continues to the present is the real issue.” (Manager F)

We should give young offenders a chance to get back on their feet. That’s not wrong. Our society is notoriously harsh about “second chances.” It is quick to stigmatize rather than to offer opportunity.

But that doesn’t mean the public can be dismissed as a “collective and pathological moral-panic-driven puritanical mob.” In the entertainment industry, consumption is entirely decided by the public.

Whether to watch or not, whether to buy or not… the public chooses. And in Korea, entertainment consumers are sensitive to issues like school violence, drunk driving, assault, and power abuse. They don’t want to see such things.

As an elder professor once described, it’s not “burying someone alive.” It simply means the public can no longer emotionally connect with the problematic actor (or singer) and chooses not to consume their films or music.

Let’s return to Jo Jinwoong’s story. As a teenager, he committed a serious crime. He was arrested for stealing a parked car and assaulting a woman in it. He was categorized as a juvenile offender and spent time in a correctional facility to reflect.

After leaving juvenile detention, Jo Jinwoong fully received a second chance. His juvenile record didn’t prevent him from entering Kyungsung University, nor did it stop him from joining a theater troupe.

(For reference, six national universities, including Seoul National, Kyungpook National, and Pusan National. considered school-violence records in admissions this year. Forty-five applicants, including two to SNU, were ultimately rejected. The Korea National University of Arts also prohibited enrollment of those with school-violence sanctions.)

But Jo Jinwoong committed more crimes afterward. In his twenties, he as***lted a theater colleague, and in his thirties, he drove while heavily intoxicated. Even after receiving a second chance, he accumulated additional as***lt and DUI records.

Are there school-violence perpetrators who continue working in Korea? Countless entertainers have been forced off projects due to unproven, or impossible-to-prove, allegations.

Are there cases of drunk drivers making a comeback? Most entertainers who cause controversy due to drunk driving follow the path of “DUI = exit = self-reflection.” These days, it’s even harder to return.

Jo Jin-woong drove drunk in 2007. That was after debuting in the film Once Upon a Time in High School. If his drunk driving had been revealed then, would he have been cast as righteous police officers?

Most likely, all opportunities would have been taken away afterward. Not because of his past as a “juvenile offender,” but because of the newly revealed DUI, which would likely have gotten him removed from casting lists.

Jo Jinwoong is a good actor. Because his past had not been exposed, he was able to work, gain popularity, build a good image, and earn money. He also formed ties with political circles.

But is his acting career, as one lawyer described, “a tower of atonement built over a lifetime”? Jo Jinwoong was simply fortunate. His acting is not the product of past reflection.

Giving Jo Jinwoong another chance; that is for the public to decide. It’s not something political figures should lecture about in opinion columns. If I want to watch him, I can. If I find it difficult to watch him, I won’t. There’s no reason to compare him to Jean Valjean.

Moreover, countless entertainers face public criticism. They apologize for vaping in a waiting room, for throwing a ceremonial first pitch too hard, for wearing a certain color on election day, or for having their manager carry their suitcase.

An idol was kicked out for hanging out with an adult-film actor; an actor lost a role for sharing AV images. They didn’t break any laws. But they bowed their heads because they violated public sentiment. There is no justification for Jo Ji-woong alone to receive different treatment.

P.S. The first report about Jo Jinwoong came in 2017. I asked the agency CEO at the time. He denied it, saying, “I checked with the actor directly. It’s nonsense.”

Either the agency Saram Entertainment lied, or the actor deceived them. In any case, the company and the actor concealed the past and continued activities for eight years.

source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/433/0000123437

original post: here

1. I can't believe Dispatch wrote this article

2. The fact that they've been burying this since 2017 is more shocking

3. The day when I agree with a Dispatch article has finally come

4. Dispatch did well this time, it was refreshing to read

5. I agree with everything!!! He can do any other types of work aside from working in a field where he receives money thanks to people's love

6. Looking back, you can tell how lucky this guy was...

7. So he even committed DUI in his 30s? Wow I didn't know. Everything is about image making

8. He also as***ted his manager, coworkers and even other co-stars... As expected, people never change

9. Dispatch needs to shut up, what would they know?

10. Dispatch wrote this well, I wonder how do people even shield this guy

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