As actor Cho Jin Woong announced his retirement following allegations that he had a juvenile criminal record, a netizen claiming to be his high school junior posted a detailed recollection of the actor’s school days, drawing significant attention online.
On December 8, several online communities shared a post titled 'What a Junior Wrote About Cho Jin Woong’s Life as a High School Student.'
The poster A wrote that they first met Cho Jin Woong, then known by his birth name Cho Won Jun, in 1995 when they were a second-year student and he was a senior in the school’s drama club.
A described him as “the tall, slightly heavy, kind senior every class seems to have” and recalled that the school atmosphere was “terrible.” According to A, “While we were practicing for plays, third-year bullies would walk in and beat him for no reason. They would nitpick something he said and hit him in front of all the juniors. They acted like gang members. There was absolutely no reason for the violence.”
A insisted that Cho was never a bully. “Won Jun brother was not an school bully. If anything, he was someone who suffered heavily under them. I remember he was a year older than others in his grade, and that made him even more of a target. He was beaten almost every day and never fought back. In today’s terms, he was treated like the kid bullies make run errands,” A wrote.
A added that even when Cho was dragged out during rehearsals and came back bruised, “he still tried to lighten the atmosphere by joking with the juniors. He never complained or spoke harshly to us.” A said that if Cho had actually been a bully, “someone would have said they were beaten by him, but no such rumor ever existed at our school.”
Regarding the incident now under scrutiny, A said Cho was not an active participant. “What I heard at the time was that if he did not go along with them, they would beat him. It was the kind of environment where you had to do what the bullies told you. Wrong is wrong, and I am not defending the wrongdoing,” A stated.
A concluded by saying that the era itself was filled with such incidents. “Among many who stayed silent and endured, Won Jun brother was one of them. If you look only at school life and exclude the crime, he was actually a victim of school violence.” A added, “I am not trying to shield him from responsibility. I was simply reminded of the saying, ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner.’”
On December 5, allegations surfaced that Cho had once been a juvenile offender. His agency acknowledged that “there were wrongful actions during his youth,” although they emphasized that the events occurred more than 30 years ago, the details are difficult to verify, and any related legal procedures had long been settled. They strongly denied any involvement in sexual assault.
Following the reports, Cho announced his complete retirement. “I will humbly accept all criticism. As of today, I will halt all activities and bring an end to my career as an actor. This is the responsibility I must bear for my past misdeeds.”
In response to the junior’s testimony, many netizens expressed skepticism and frustration. Comments included: “Crimes like theft, robbery, and rape go far beyond school bully behavior. Comparing them to bullying is not convincing at all. Staying quiet would help more.” “I do not particularly care, but in the photos, he is the tallest and biggest one with his arms around his friends. I do not see how he could have been anyone’s errand boy.” “Does Cho Jin Woong even look like someone who would be bullied into being an errand boy?”
Most reactions showed disbelief or discomfort with what they saw as attempts to soften the nature of the allegations.
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