"I Did Not Secretly Film or Distribute Intimate Photos" Joo Jin-mo Shares Feelings on 'Text Message' Hacking Incident

On the 16th, actor Joo Jin-mo expressed his position regarding the personal matters that arose due to his mobile phone being hacked through his agency, Hive Brothers. Photo by Hive Brothers Korea

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Actor Joo Jin-mo has expressed his position regarding the personal matters that surfaced due to his cellphone being hacked.

On the 16th, Joo Jin-mo stated through his agency, Why Brothers, "Because of this incident, I have been spending days where I cannot even breathe comfortably."

Joo Jin-mo said, "About two months ago, hackers suddenly mentioned my real name and sent messages to my phone. Above all, when they contacted me by sending my personal information obtained through illegal hacking, I felt extreme fear beyond mere confusion."

He continued, "When I did not respond to their criminal acts, they pressured me to the point of mental confusion by sending photos of my passport, resident registration card, driver's license, as well as personal information of my wife, family, and fellow entertainers stored on my phone one after another. They even went as far as sending threatening emails to my wife, causing my entire family to endure painful days," he said.

Regarding his firm stance to respond strongly, Joo Jin-mo explained, "If I had yielded to their threats, I believed they would not stop and would continue to harass me. I also thought that it would negatively affect other entertainers or celebrities who are being threatened in the same way and encourage further crimes, so I did not comply with their extortion and threats."

He added, "As a result, unintended harm occurred to acquaintances mentioned in my text messages. To the women mentioned in my messages, I do not even know how to apologize or if an apology would suffice. I bow my head and ask for forgiveness," he said.

He also clarified, "I was scared and distressed to see distorted and malicious edits making it appear as if I committed acts I did not actually do, and rumors spreading at a frightening speed. However, I absolutely did not commit the immoral act of secretly taking and distributing photos of another person's body."

Finally, he said, "I sincerely apologize once again to many fans and those suffering secondary damage. I will take this incident as an opportunity to reflect on my life and always strive to become a better person."

Earlier, Joo Jin-mo’s legal representatives at Barun Law Firm stated, "On behalf of Joo Jin-mo, we have filed a criminal complaint against the perpetrators of the hacking and extortion crimes. We will also take strong action including criminal complaints and civil damages claims against the initial distributor who manipulated the text messages and posted them on internet communities, those who redistributed or reprocessed and distributed them, and those who defamed actor Joo Jin-mo by labeling him as a criminal."

Official Statement from Actor Joo Jin-mo

Hello, this is actor Joo Jin-mo.

First, I would like to apologize to the acquaintances who have suffered because of me, the fans who have cared for me, and everyone who has been watching over me. I too have been spending days where I cannot even breathe comfortably because of this incident.

About two months ago, criminal hackers suddenly mentioned my real name and sent messages to my phone. Above all, when they contacted me by sending my personal information obtained through illegal hacking, I felt extreme fear beyond mere confusion.

When I did not respond to these criminal acts, they pressured me to the point of mental confusion by sending photos of my passport, resident registration card, driver's license, as well as personal information of my wife, family, and fellow entertainers stored on my phone one after another. They even went as far as sending threatening emails to my wife, causing my entire family to endure painful days.

However, if I had yielded to their threats, I believed they would not stop and would continue to harass me. I also thought that it would negatively affect other entertainers or celebrities who are being threatened in the same way and encourage further crimes, so I did not comply with their extortion and threats.

As a result, unintended harm occurred to acquaintances mentioned in my text messages. To the women mentioned in my messages, I do not even know how to apologize or if an apology would suffice. I bow my head and ask for forgiveness.

Also, I was scared and distressed to see distorted and malicious edits making it appear as if I committed acts I did not actually do, and rumors spreading at a frightening speed. However, I absolutely did not commit the immoral act of secretly taking and distributing photos of another person's body.

I have heard that many people are still being threatened. I ask you not to yield to these threats. They will use the situation caused by the disclosure of my text messages to extort quick payments from victims through extortion and threats.

I have a precious wife and families on both sides. They were all hurt by the extortion messages aimed at obtaining money, and it was very painful to watch. However, I believe that not yielding to extortion and threats was the right thing to do. If I had complied with their demands, it would have encouraged further crimes and created more victims.

Lastly, I sincerely apologize once again to many fans and those suffering secondary damage. I will take this incident as an opportunity to reflect on my life and always strive to become a better person. Thank you.

Official Statement from Joo Jin-mo’s Legal Representatives

Hello, we are Cheon Jae-min, Yoo Young-seok, and Kang Tae-hoon, the attorneys at Barun Law Firm representing actor Joo Jin-mo.

The recent problematic text messages from actor Joo Jin-mo’s cellphone were leaked due to hacking by a criminal group. This criminal group used the messages as bait to extort money from actor Joo Jin-mo. When their demands were refused, they indiscriminately sent the messages via email to many journalists to increase the intensity of their threats. When that also failed, they ultimately maliciously manipulated parts of the messages and distributed them on internet communities.

We cannot help but express concern over these hacking and extortion crimes. What is even more regrettable is that the personal text messages leaked through such criminal acts have rapidly spread and been distorted through various media, causing misunderstandings about the actor’s private life. As a result, public and media attention has focused not on protecting victims of hacking and extortion crimes but on criticizing and blaming the actor’s private life.

Accordingly, our law firm has filed a criminal complaint on January 16, 2020, against the perpetrators of the hacking and extortion crimes on behalf of actor Joo Jin-mo. We will also take strong action including criminal complaints and civil damages claims against the initial distributor who manipulated the text messages and posted them on internet communities, those who redistributed or reprocessed and distributed them, and those who defamed actor Joo Jin-mo by labeling him as a criminal, for violations of criminal law and the Information and Communications Network Act. We ask all media, internet portal sites, community managers, and SNS administrators to exercise special caution to prevent further spread of defamatory and speculative information about actor Joo Jin-mo. The reproduction and distribution of such information only plays into the hands of the extortionists and amounts to cooperating with their criminal acts.

Below, we attach a letter personally written by actor Joo Jin-mo, through which he conveys the circumstances of the hacking, extortion, and threats he endured, offers sincere apologies to acquaintances indirectly affected, fans who have supported him, and the disappointed public, and hopes to support other entertainers who are still suffering from similar crimes and to eradicate these crimes completely. Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.