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Documentary Filmmaker Claims Assault by Actor Jo Jin-woong
On October 7, Heo took to social media to share his experience, stating, "Since a fistfight with a friend in middle school, this was the first time as an adult that I was hit by someone. In 2014, someone punched me in the face." He continued, "The person who hit me was actor Jo Jin-woong. I was unable to retaliate as people around us intervened, and I remember being hit multiple times in a very short period. This incident occurred in a car after a ceremony wishing success for a director's film, not even at a late hour."
Heo further explained, "Jo, who was sitting next to me, suddenly hit me for no reason. When people tried to stop him, he started crying. I was bewildered. What was this absurd situation? I met this actor for the first time that day and couldn't understand it at all."
Heo stated, "I demanded a formal apology through his manager, but he never apologized. Only the innocent manager knelt before me, not knowing what to do. Even after several days, there was no apology. He claimed he didn't remember. Since then, whenever I saw his face on screen, I turned it off. The memory of that day kept coming back, and I was filled with anger. It became a trauma."
He added, "Even when I complained to fellow filmmakers, they just laughed it off, saying, 'Why did he do that?' So I just buried it. Today, I saw news about him and learned about his past. It's strange. A different feeling arose in me. For the first time, I felt a sense of forgiveness, thinking, 'So that's what happened.' My anger wasn't directed at the actor but at the judgmental eyes and fingers of the world. I was too busy being angry at the phenomenon of being assaulted without context."
Heo expressed, "I'm so embarrassed. Why didn't I try to understand why those people acted that way? Am I not just another insignificant being like those who point fingers? My anger towards them is ultimately disappointment in myself."
He concluded by addressing Jo Jin-woong, "I hope you can return to acting. If we ever meet again, let's have a drink and let me slap you once to coolly move on."
Heo has since deleted the post.
Previously, it was revealed that Jo Jin-woong was sent to a juvenile detention center for robbery and rape charges during high school. As an adult, he received a fine for assaulting a theater troupe member and had his license revoked for drunk driving during the filming of the 2004 movie 'Once Upon a Time in High School.'
By Yeji Ryu, TenAsia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr
