South Korean Actor Hwang Jung-min's Agency, Accuser Trade Claims Over Stalking Allegations in Court Fight

A woman who has publicly alleged private misconduct by South Korean actor Hwang Jung-min pushed back Wednesday against her characterization by the actor's talent agency as a criminal stalker, telling reporters that a legal fight between the two sides remains active in the courts.

The woman, identified only by the initial "A" in Korean media reports in keeping with local privacy conventions, told the entertainment outlet StarNews that she had seen the official statement issued by Hwang's agency, Sam Company. "Regardless, it's a fact that a 3 million won fine was issued, and I'm currently disputing multiple cases in formal trial," she said, referring to roughly $2,200 in South Korean currency.

She went on to characterize the agency's public statement as a deliberate framing strategy. "That's probably all Hwang Jung-min's side can say right now," she said. "The only thing they can do at this point is push this narrative as far as possible, painting me as a stalking criminal."

The dispute traces back to allegations the woman first raised on her personal social media account regarding Hwang's private conduct. According to StarNews's reporting, Hwang and the woman first met in August 2023 and maintained contact over roughly two years, during which time she says the relationship grew close. The woman has alleged that during that period, Hwang made sexually suggestive remarks to her, proposed meetings and a business partnership, and exchanged selfies and photographs with her.

Hwang's agency, Sam Company, issued a formal response disputing the woman's characterization of their relationship entirely, describing her instead as "a stalking crime suspect who has continuously harassed Hwang Jung-min." The agency said Hwang had filed a criminal complaint against the woman, and that a court had imposed provisional restraining measures against her on three separate occasions, including orders barring her from approaching Hwang. The agency further stated that a summary court order had found her guilty of stalking and imposed a fine of 3 million won, and said the company intended to pursue additional legal action over what it described as maliciously edited posts targeting the actor.

Court records cited in the reporting confirm that the woman received a summary fine order of 3 million won on stalking charges in February. She has not accepted that outcome and is currently contesting it through a formal trial process, according to her own statement to reporters. Separately, in February, the woman filed a civil lawsuit against Hwang seeking approximately 200 million won, or roughly $145,000, in damages, according to the same reporting.

The dispute has continued to escalate publicly in the days since the initial allegations surfaced, with additional claims and counterclaims emerging from both sides. According to related coverage, questions have also been raised about whether the woman contacted a minor connected to Hwang, allegations that have added a further layer of controversy to the case, though the specifics of those additional claims remain contested between the parties. Separately, disputes have emerged online over the authenticity of audio recordings connected to the case, with conflicting claims about whether the recordings were artificially manipulated or whether the application used to create them makes such manipulation technically implausible.

Hwang Jung-min is one of South Korea's most prominent film actors, known for a body of work spanning several decades and multiple major domestic box office successes, including roles in films that have drawn wide critical acclaim within the Korean film industry. His representation by a major talent agency and his public profile in South Korea mean that legal disputes involving him tend to draw substantial domestic media coverage, as has been the case with this dispute since it first became public.

Cases involving stalking allegations in South Korea are governed under the country's Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes, which was substantially strengthened in recent years following a series of high-profile stalking-related violent incidents. Provisional restraining measures of the kind the agency said were imposed against the woman are a common tool used by South Korean courts in stalking cases to separate parties while a criminal investigation or prosecution proceeds, distinct from a final determination of guilt.

Both the criminal case against the woman and her separate civil damages lawsuit against Hwang remain active and unresolved as of Wednesday, according to the available reporting, with the woman having formally challenged her stalking conviction rather than accepting the summary fine order. Neither Hwang nor his agency has publicly addressed the woman's specific underlying allegations regarding his private conduct in detail beyond disputing her characterization of their relationship and asserting that she is the one engaged in a pattern of unlawful harassment.

With both legal proceedings ongoing, further developments in the case are expected to continue drawing significant attention from South Korean entertainment media in the weeks ahead, particularly as the formal trial contesting the woman's stalking conviction moves forward alongside her separate civil suit against the actor.