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DP lawmakers voice support for actor Cho Jin-woong after retirement announcement, PPP critical

Published: 08 Dec. 2025, 17:15 Updated: 08 Dec. 2025, 18:18

President Lee Jae Myung, center, and actor Cho Jin-woong, on Lee's right, are seen during a screening of ″La Resistance″ at CGV Yongsan in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Aug. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Calls to support the actor Cho Jin-woong spread among lawmakers in the ruling Democratic Party (DP) after he announced his retirement from entertainment following reports that he had been tried as a juvenile for robbery and sexual assault in 1994.

Cho is widely regarded as a prominent pro-DP celebrity with longstanding ties to the party. In August, he attended a screening of the film “La Resistance” with Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, an event which Cho reportedly recommended to Lee himself.

Cho also appeared on the pro-administration YouTube show “Gyeomson Is Nothing” in August to promote the film. He had previously appeared on the same YouTube show several years prior to promote an earlier film, “Black Money” (2019).

After Cho's announcement Saturday that he would step away from the industry, several DP lawmakers publicly defended him.

“When I think of Cho, I recall the return of General Hong Bum-do and several films,” wrote DP Rep. Park Beom-kye on Facebook on Sunday. “Is the image he holds today in the public eye so completely incompatible with a forgotten past?”

Fellow DP Rep. Kim Won-i shared writings by priest Song Kyung-yong and Han In-seop, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University Law School, that called for Cho’s return to the screen, writing, “It raises deeper questions about how far, in what way, and for how long someone should bear responsibility for wrongdoing committed in youth.”

Actor Cho Jin-woong is seen during a broadcast of YouTube show ″Gyeomson Is Nothing″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Some supporters of the ruling bloc claimed the expose on Cho was part of a right-wing media conspiracy. In a group chat for subscribers of the pro-DP YouTube channel Saenal, participants said, “It looks like celebrities are being silenced just for supporting the Lee Jae Myung administration,” and “Let’s bring him back.”

On the online forum of Ddanzi Ilbo, a progressive community, one post said on Monday, “At this point, the real issue is the leak itself,” adding, “Releasing information about a juvenile offense is a crime in and of itself.”

The online outlet that first reported Cho’s criminal record said that whistle-blowers came forward after watching him deliver the national pledge at the Aug. 15 Liberation Day ceremony.

From left, former Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-chul, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and actor Cho Jin-woong are seen on a plane as part of a delegation that repatriated the remains of General Hong Bum-do from Kazakhstan [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A senior DP lawmaker who said they had personal interactions with Cho explained, “After filming ‘Man of Will’ (2017), which centers on independence fighter Kim Gu, Cho became deeply moved and began visiting Kim’s grave with staff each year, developing an interest in history.”

In 2021, during the Moon Jae-in administration, Cho participated in the government delegation that repatriated the remains of General Hong Bum-do from Kazakhstan, acting as a “national representative.” Then-chairman of the General Hong Bum-do Memorial Society, Woo, was also part of the delegation.

“Cho graciously agreed to narrate the film ‘La Resistance,’ and we were very grateful,” said an official from the memorial society. “Many in our group chat of officials from our society expressed their sadness over this situation.”

Actor Cho Jin-woong poses at the 44th Golden Cinematography Awards in southern Seoul on Nov. 18, 2024. [NEWS1]

However, the opposition has strongly criticized the ruling party’s support.

“Is everyone in the ruling party out of their minds?” wrote Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party (PPP) on Facebook on Sunday, in reference to DP lawmakers coming to Cho's defense. “You're so busy trying to confirm the existence of a left-wing crime cartel.”

In a similar vein, PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won announced plans to propose a bill that would allow the state to verify and disclose the records of public officials who committed serious crimes as minors — the “Act on Checking and Disclosing Serious Juvenile Offenses of Public Servants.”

Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok also weighed in on Facebook, saying, “Some DP supporters are now arguing that actors don’t need to meet high moral standards, using political logic to frame Cho as the victim of a conspiracy by the opposing camp.”

“If the head of state lacks moral integrity, people will always feel a sense of unease when incidents like this arise,” Lee Jun-seok wrote.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG BO-HYUN [[email protected]]