Actor Jo Byung Gyu, whose reputation has been marred with multiple school bullying allegations, lost his ₩4.00 billion KRW (approximately $2.80 million USD) lawsuit against one of his accusers.
The Seoul Central District Court has ruled against Jo and his former agency HB Entertainment in their damages suit filed against "Accuser A." The legal battle was the result of a 2021 social media post in which the accuser claimed Jo bullied them during their school years in New Zealand.
According to Herald Biz, the court ruled in favor of the accuser although the case went through a public notification service, which means that the defendant never responded to the lawsuit. Given the court looked only at Jo's side of the evidence, it still found that "it is difficult to conclude that A's post was false."
Presiding Judge Lee Sang Won explained the reasoning in the official court statement.
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"It appears A deleted the post out of fear after hearing from Jo's legal representative about potential criminal charges and massive damages claim," the judge said. "It is also possible he became even more afraid upon learning that, in Korea, even true statements can lead to defamation charges."
Jo had sought ₩4.06 billion KRW (about $2.85 million USD) in damages, citing loss of brand deals and drama appearances, plus an additional ₩200 million KRW (around $140,000 USD) for emotional distress. However, the court ruled that evidence provided by the plaintiff's side-including testimony from more than 20 witnesses-was "unreliable," explaining that they were all personally connected to the actor and thus unable to confirm events occurring outside of Korea.
The court concluded, "Even considering the inherent difficulty of proving that something did not occur, the evidence submitted is insufficient to establish that the events described in the post never happened."
After the sentencing, theqoo netizens continued to blast the actor. Comments include:
"$3 million?! He was suing for $3 million? That is literally bullying his victim all over again." one user said
"Pressing for $3 million sounds like intimidation." another chimed in.
"Wow... His accuser didn't even respond to the lawsuit, and yet he still lost." fans noted.
Meanwhile, Koreabo reports that Jo Byung Gyu has filed an appeal against the court ruling because the lower court had "misinterpreted the law." The appeal will be heard later by the Seoul High Court.
READ MORE: Jo Byung Gyu Fails to Pass Exam for Military — Will He Be Able To Enlist in Army?
