[Sportschosun reporter Park A-ram] It has been confirmed that A, who has claimed he will expose actor Hwang Jung-min’s private life, also sent related material to the North American distributor of the film “Hope” as well as to the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival.
According to an Ilgan Sports report on the 30th, A sent emails in the first half of this year not only to Neon, the North American distributor of “Hope,” but also to the Cannes Film Festival, containing allegations about Hwang Jung-min. The emails reportedly included claims similar to those A is now making. The move appears to have been aimed at the fact that “Hope” was invited to compete in the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
A claimed that the reason he contacted the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival was to make clear that the matter was not a simple personal rumor or a private-life exposé, but a “legal dispute” involving both a criminal trial and a civil lawsuit in South Korea. He also added that the Cannes organizers had asked him for updates on the progress of the criminal case.
He nevertheless drew a line, saying he had only provided an objective update on the status of the proceedings and had not asked the festivals to take any specific action or intervene.
Earlier, starting with production company Forged Films in August last year, A sent emails alleging misconduct by Hwang Jung-min to major partners of “Hope,” including domestic investor-distributor Plus M Entertainment. After he later reached out to overseas festival-related parties, including Neon, the “Hope” team reportedly explained the situation directly to its foreign partners.
The production and distribution companies are maintaining a firm stance on the controversy. In a joint statement released the previous day, Forged Films and Plus M Entertainment said, “This matter involved Hwang Jung-min being subjected to stalking, and legal action has already been taken.” They added, “A is causing business interference by sending emails to partners with maliciously edited material and repeatedly posting and deleting content on social networking service platforms that defames the actor and the film,” describing the conduct as an intentional attack on “Hope” and signaling a strong response.
The controversy erupted on the 29th after A posted what appeared to be Hwang Jung-min’s voice recordings, photos and text messages on social networking service platforms, claiming that Hwang had repeatedly contacted him and suggested meeting even during filming.
Hwang Jung-min’s agency, SEM COMPANY, immediately pushed back. The agency said A was “the suspect in a stalking crime who repeatedly harassed Hwang Jung-min,” and added that the court had recognized A’s stalking charges and issued a summary order imposing a fine of 3 million won, along with three provisional restraining measures, including stay-away orders. It also said it plans to take further legal action over maliciously edited posts and the spread of false information.
A is also said to have sent a direct message on social networking service to Hwang Jung-min’s son, who was a minor at the time. A explained, “It was not for threats or exposure, but only because I wanted to ask for the message to be delivered after all contact with the agency had been cut off.” However, public criticism has intensified over what many see as abnormal behavior.
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