Actor Jo Jin-woong's Retirement Sparks Industry-Wide Response: Programs and Projects in Limbo

Actor Jo Jin-woong's recent announcement of retirement due to past juvenile offenses has prompted a swift response from the entertainment industry, with networks and production companies scrambling to remove his presence from current and past projects.

SBS announced on the 8th that they have "completely replaced the narration for the documentary 'War with Gangs.'" The four-part series, which first aired on September 30, delves into the stories of transnational crime organizations, such as drug cartels, and the people who pursue them. Despite Jo Jin-woong's voice being used for the first two episodes, SBS decided to re-record the narration with a new voice following his retirement announcement. Initially, SBS believed Jo's established detective image from works like 'Signal,' 'Blood of the Police,' and 'Believer' would enhance the documentary's credibility. However, the ensuing controversy led to the decision to replace him.

KBS has also acted quickly to distance itself from Jo Jin-woong. The network has made the documentary 'National Envoy Jo Jin-woong, Bringing General Hong Beom-do Home,' which was uploaded to their official YouTube channel, private. Released in August 2021, the documentary covers the life and repatriation process of General Hong Beom-do.

The future of the tvN drama 'Second Signal,' slated for a 2026 release, is now uncertain. As a sequel to the beloved drama 'Signal,' the series stars Kim Hye-soo, Jo Jin-woong, and Lee Je-hoon, and completed filming in August. With significant production costs and the efforts of hundreds of cast and crew members invested, the potential cancellation of the eight-part series could result in substantial financial losses.

There are cautious speculations that Jo Jin-woong may face penalties amounting to billions of won. Breaching the obligation to maintain dignity could result in penalties exceeding twice his appearance fee, and when factoring in potential reshoot costs, the compensation could reach tens of billions of won.

In response, tvN stated, "We are currently in post-production and nothing has been decided yet. We will monitor the situation and discuss future programming directions."

Reporter Se-yoon Jung, Ten Asia yoon@tenasia.co.kr