It was reported that actor Kang Ji Hwan and Jellyfish Entertainment have been ordered to pay production studio, Studio Santa Claus 5.3 billion KRW (~3.5 million USD) in damages for his 2019 sexual assault.
As previously reported, Kang Ji Hwan confessed to sexually assaulting two contracted agency employees after drinking with them in his home in July 2019. He was then given a sentence of 2 years and 6 months in prison with a probationary period of 3 years - meaning that if he commits a similar crime within a 3-year probation period, he'll be serving jail time.
At that time, Kang Ji Hwan was starring in TV Chosun's 'Joseon Survival Period' during his sexual assault controversy. Due to the controversy, he had to drop out of the drama, but the production had already filmed 12 episodes. Hence, Studio Santa Clause sued the actor for restitution.
On October 12, it was confirmed that the actor and Jellyfish Entertainment, his former agency at the time, were ruled to pay Studio Santa Claus in damages.
With the news of the ruling, many K-netizens feel sympathy for the actor and think it is unfair to him. Many Korean netizens believe that Kang Ji Hwan was wrongfully framed and commented, "I feel like there is some injustice to this...He was drunk and the girls are the ones that are actually suspicious," "He hung out with the wrong people and his acting career is ruined," "This can happen to any of us...He was knocked out drunk and the girls brought him home. There wasn't even enough evidence to show that he actually sexually harassed them. The police just listened to the women and took their word," "I feel so bad," "I hope that the TV Show 'Unanswered Questions' reinvestigates that surveillance video," "Kang Ji Hwan was really the victim," and "It's not fair he has to pay 5.3 billion KRW. It wasn't even all his fault."
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