The Last Case Facing Park Shi Hoo Is Settled

After almost six months of litigation, all of the lawsuits against actor Park Shi Hoo have finally been settled. The last unresolved case involved defamation charges filed against Park Shi Hoo by his former manager, Mr. Hwang.

The case began in February when a trainee actress known as "A" filed charges against Park Shi Hoo. She claimed that the actor sexually assaulted her. The actor, who starred in "Cheomdamdung Alice" and the "Princess' Man," said the couple dined with friends, she returned to his apartment willingly and their relations were consensual. The Seoul Police investigated the case and then turned it over to the prosecutor's office for indictment. Park Shi Hoo counter-sued the actress for slandering him and also sued his former manager for conspiring with her. In return, Hwang filed another suit against the actor for defaming him.

In his suit, Hwang said, "Me working with 'A' in a conspiracy to defame Park Shi Hoo isn't true by any accounts."

In May, the actress dropped her charges against Park Shi Hoo. When she dropped her charges, the prosecutor withdrew the indictment. Although the actress sent a friend text messages implying she would ask the actor for a huge amount of settlement money and rumors said he paid her $90,000, the actor denied making a financial settlement.

His lawyer, Bae Seung Yeol, explained that the two reached a compromise because they wanted the situation to end.

"The situation grew so big and so many people involved were hurt," said Bae Seung Yeol. "They decided they did not want to hurt their families any more so they decided to drop their suits and reconcile. There was some talk about money in the media but there was no settlement involved."

 On July 22, the Seobu Police Agency issued a statement.

"After investigations it was decided that all charges filed against Park Shi Hoo were inadequate," said the statement.

In response to the actress withdrawing her charges, the actor dropped his lawsuit against her. Park Shi Hoo also tried to drop the lawsuit against Hwang, asking his former manager to drop his countersuit, but Hwang insisted on getting a personal apology from the actor. Neither side seemed willing to give in for about two months. However, Hwang changed his mind last week and asked the Corea Entertainment Management Association to mediate their disagreement.

Finally, this week, the actor and his former manager agreed to both drop their lawsuits. Although the lawsuits are behind him, it may take a long time for Park Shi Hoo to repair the damage done to his career. The actor has made no public promotional appearances since the scandal began.