Actor Jo Byeong Gyu is set to return to court in August for the appeal trial in his damages lawsuit against A, the person who raised school violence allegations against him.
According to reports, the first hearing for the appeal will be held at the Seoul High Court on August 28. In this appeal, Jo Byeong Gyu’s former agency HB Entertainment is no longer listed as an appellant, and the claim amount has reportedly been reduced from around 4 billion won to around 900 million won.
In the first trial, the Seoul Central District Court ruled against Jo Byeong Gyu and HB Entertainment. The court dismissed all of their claims and ordered the plaintiffs to cover the lawsuit costs.
Jo Byeong Gyu’s side had claimed that A damaged his reputation by posting false statements online, leading to canceled advertising contracts and lost drama, film, and variety show appearances. They sought compensation, including 200 million won for emotional damages.
However, the court said it was difficult to conclude that A’s posts were false based only on the evidence submitted by Jo Byeong Gyu’s side. Regarding A deleting the posts, the court stated that it appeared to be due to fear of the criminal complaint and large damages lawsuit, not because A admitted the posts were false.
The court also did not accept written statements from around 20 acquaintances submitted by Jo Byeong Gyu’s side. The court said they were mostly his acquaintances in Korea and that it was difficult for them to confirm details about events that allegedly happened in New Zealand.
Even some people who studied in New Zealand with him were not accepted as strong evidence, as the court viewed them as people with close ties to Jo Byeong Gyu.
A first made the allegations in 2021, claiming that Jo Byeong Gyu repeatedly assaulted him and took money or belongings from him when they attended school together in New Zealand. Jo Byeong Gyu’s side has continued to deny the allegations.
At the time, A also called for public verification, saying, “I am calmly preparing. I will never hide or avoid this.” A later proposed a public verification in New Zealand with “10 billion won at stake,” while Jo Byeong Gyu’s side said the truth would be revealed through the investigation.
Jo Byeong Gyu also previously addressed the issue during the press event for “The Uncanny Counter 2”. He said, “I have done my best to explain that it is not true. I am still doing my best,” adding that the process was taking time because the other person was overseas.
Meanwhile, the defamation complaint filed by Jo Byeong Gyu against A was also reportedly closed with a decision not to forward the case to prosecution.