[Edaily Reporter Gim Ga Yeong ] Actor Jo Jin-woong has retired from the entertainment industry after it was revealed that he had a criminal record as a juvenile, and tvN’s “The Second Signal,” in which he starred, is set to premiere on December 7.

On the 6th, tvN stated, “After comprehensively considering the show’s genre and viewing environment, we plan to air it at 10 p.m., later than the usual time,” adding, “Taking into account the plot development and overall viewing flow of the eight-episode series, we will air up to three episodes in the first week.”
They continued, “On the premiere day, we plan to slightly shorten and adjust the runtime of the first episode—within the limits necessary to maintain the story’s flow and viewer engagement—and air episodes 1 and 2 back-to-back. The following day, we will air episode 3, where the main story begins in earnest,” adding, “After that, we will continue airing one episode each on Mondays and Tuesdays.”
tvN stated that it had thoroughly reviewed various options to minimize concerns while maintaining the production’s quality, noting, “We explored editing solutions using video technology and conducted tests to replace characters using AI, but due to limitations in naturally rendering the actors’ performances and the narrative flow, it is difficult to ultimately apply these technologies.”
While making it clear that the release of the series does not imply endorsement or justification of the issue, they emphasized, “Although this decision may not fully address all the concerns raised, we believe it is also important to consider the efforts of the many actors, staff, and production team members who have done their best in their respective roles to complete the series, as well as those who have waited a long time for it.” “We will convey the inherent story and meaning of ‘The Second Signal’ in a meaningful way, while never forgetting our responsibility as a channel,” they emphasized.
tvN stated, “We take the concerns and opinions expressed by viewers regarding the drama ‘The Second Signal’ very seriously. While the past misconduct of a specific cast member is an issue that we, as a channel, cannot take lightly, ‘The Second Signal’ is not the work of just one person,” they stated, adding, “It is a collaborative creation that embodies the time and effort of many staff members, production teams, and stakeholders—from the planning stage through filming and post-production. We believe it is necessary to distinguish between the evaluation of an individual cast member, the value of the work itself, and the efforts of the creators who participated in it.”
Previously, it was revealed that Jo Jin-woong committed a serious crime during his high school years, resulting in a juvenile protection disposition and his placement in a juvenile detention center. Informants disclosed that Jo Jin-woong was part of a so-called “school gang” during high school, and that his group was implicated in the theft of a parked vehicle and an attempted sexual assault; as a result, he faced a criminal trial on charges of robbery and rape under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
In response, his agency stated, “After confirming with the actor, we found that he had engaged in inappropriate behavior while a minor. This is based on partially verified facts; it is difficult to fully ascertain the circumstances more than 30 years later, and there are limitations since the relevant legal proceedings have already been concluded. This is unrelated to any acts of sexual assault,” and announced that he would retire from acting.