Hwang Jung-min’s agency said on July 29 that a woman who accused the South Korean actor of having an extramarital affair with her is a criminal suspect in a stalking case. The company will also pursue further legal action against her.
The woman had earlier posted on social media what she claimed were text messages, photos and a phone recording of Hwang, 55, alleging the two had been romantically involved.
The agency said in a statement that the posts were written by “a stalking suspect who has continuously harassed” Hwang, and that the actor filed a criminal complaint against her in 2025.
A court has since imposed restraining orders on the woman three times and fined her three million won (RM8,525) through a summary order, according to the statement.
The woman has contested the fine and requested a formal trial, according to local media reports, which also said she has filed a civil suit against Hwang seeking damages.
Hwang’s agency said it plans to take additional legal action over the posts, which it called “maliciously edited”, and apologised for the concern the matter has caused. It stopped short, however, of saying whether the recording itself was genuine.
Hwang has been married to Kim Mi-hye, a South Korean musical and theatre producer who heads SEM Company, his management agency, since 2004.
Hwang is considered one of the biggest box-office draws in South Korean cinema, having headlined multiple blockbusters, such as Veteran (2015), Deliver Us From Evil (2020) and 12.12: The Day (2023).
The actor is starring in Na Hong-jin’s action thriller Hope, which has led the country’s box office since opening on July 15 following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Hope, also starring Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon and Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, opens in Singapore on Sept 10. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
