A wave of allegations \u2014 from decades-old criminal records to embezzlement claims and gang ties \u2014 plunges TV networks and agencies into crisis mode<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Cho](\"https:\/\/wimg.heraldcorp.com\/news\/cms\/2025\/12\/07\/news-p.v1.20251207.58b913113625495c89d49588f5e71593_P1.jpg\")
South Korea\u2019s entertainment industry is ending the year in turmoil as a rapid succession of revelations and allegations engulfs some of its biggest stars. Actor Cho Jin-woong\u2019s abrupt retirement, comedians Park Na-rae\u2019s escalating legal battle with former managers and Jo Se-ho\u2019s alleged ties to organized crime have left networks scrambling and the industry on edge.<\/p>\n
Cho\u2019s past resurfaces<\/b><\/p>\n
Cho\u2019s controversy erupted Friday when a local media outlet reported that the actor had been sent to juvenile detention in high school on charges including robbery and sexual assault under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The report also resurfaced past incidents in adulthood, including an assault on a fellow theater troupe member in 2003 and a drunk-driving case that resulted in license suspension.<\/p>\n
His agency, Saram Entertainment, acknowledged \u201cwrongdoing committed as a minor\u201d but denied any involvement in sexual assault.<\/p>\n
Just one day after the report, Cho announced his immediate retirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI accept all criticism and will halt all activities as of today,\u201d he said. \u201cI intend to bring my acting career to a close.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broadcast outlets moved swiftly. SBS removed his voice narration from its documentary \u201cWar on Crime\u201d beginning with the Sunday broadcast and is editing the previously aired episode. A KBS YouTube documentary video featuring Cho was taken down. The future of tvN\u2019s drama \u201cThe Second Signal,\u201d slated for release next year, has become uncertain, with producers confirming internal discussions are underway.<\/p>\n
![\"Park](\"https:\/\/wimg.heraldcorp.com\/news\/cms\/2025\/12\/07\/news-p.v1.20251207.b43bb0103abc446b8af1f6951e1b509f_P1.jpg\")
Park’s dispute with ex-managers<\/b><\/p>\n
Comedian Park Na-rae is confronting a barrage of allegations from two former managers, who have accused her of assault with a cup, workplace harassment, proxy prescriptions and embezzlement.<\/p>\n
The pair filed for provisional seizure of her real estate on Dec. 3, then submitted criminal complaints \u2014 including assault, defamation and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act \u2014 on Friday. They also accused Park of using funds from her one-person agency for personal expenses and filed an additional complaint for aggravated embezzlement. The dispute deepened when it emerged that Park\u2019s agency had failed to complete the mandatory registration as a pop culture and arts management business.<\/p>\n
Park\u2019s side strongly denied the allegations. Her agency said the former managers had already received severance pay and then demanded an extra sum equivalent to 10 percent of the previous year\u2019s revenue, with the requested amount \u201csteadily increasing into the billions of won.\u201d The agency said the two were responsible for administrative tasks \u2014 including the unregistered business status \u2014 and has countersued them for extortion.<\/p>\n
The escalation continued when allegations emerged that Park received injections from a so-called \u201cju-sa imo,\u201d reportedly an unlicensed medical provider, who also accompanied her on a shoot for MBC\u2019s \u201cI Live Alone\u201d in Taiwan. Park\u2019s agency acknowledged the individual\u2019s presence but insisted the person is a \u201clicensed doctor,\u201d denying any illegal drug administration.<\/p>\n
![\"Jo](\"https:\/\/wimg.heraldcorp.com\/news\/cms\/2025\/12\/07\/news-p.v1.20251207.958a103920b14261ae2bc9399f87b4ec_P1.jpg\")
Given Park\u2019s presence on multiple major variety shows, including \u201cI Live Alone\u201d and \u201cWhere Is My Home?,\u201d broadcasters are closely monitoring developments. \u201cI Live Alone\u201d is reportedly reviewing the matter further after Park\u2019s side confirmed the medical provider traveled with her during filming abroad.<\/p>\n
Jo denies alleged gangland ties<\/b><\/p>\n
Comedian Jo Se-ho is under scrutiny after an online user posted photos of him with a man accused of operating illegal gambling sites, alleging Jo promoted the man\u2019s franchise business and accepted lavish gifts.<\/p>\n
His agency, A2Z Entertainment, called the accusations \u201cgroundless\u201d and announced legal action against the accuser.<\/p>\n
The controversy has spilled over to tvN\u2019s hit talk show \u201cYou Quiz on the Block,\u201d where Jo serves as co-host. The show\u2019s official social media accounts have been flooded with demands for his removal. Jo, meanwhile, has disabled comments on his personal social media accounts amid intensifying backlash.<\/p>\n
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com<\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.koreaherald.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A wave of allegations \u2014 from decades-old criminal records to embezzlement claims and gang ties \u2014 plunges TV networks and agencies into crisis mode Cho Jin-woong, actor (Saram Entertainment) South Korea\u2019s entertainment industry is ending the year in turmoil as a rapid succession of revelations and allegations engulfs some of its biggest stars. Actor Cho […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[422684,422682,422683],"class_list":["post-2189881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cho-jin-woon","tag-jo-se-ho","tag-park-na-rae"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2189882,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189881\/revisions\/2189882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}