Jo Byeong Kyu’s school bullying lawsuit heads to appeals court in August

Actor Jo Byeong Kyu’s legal dispute surrounding school bullying allegations is set to return to court later this summer.

According to reports on June 17 KST, the Seoul High Court’s Civil Division 13-3 has scheduled the first hearing in the appeal case for August 28. The lawsuit was originally filed by Jo Byeong Kyu against an individual identified as A, who publicly raised school bullying allegations against the actor.

The appeal follows a lower court ruling issued in September last year, in which the Seoul Central District Court ruled against Jo Byeong Kyu and his former agency, HB Entertainment, in their damages lawsuit.

At the time, Jo Byeong Kyu’s side argued that false allegations had damaged his reputation and caused significant financial losses, including canceled advertising contracts and entertainment projects. The original lawsuit sought damages exceeding 4 billion won, including compensation for emotional distress.

However, the court determined that the evidence presented was insufficient to conclusively prove that the claims made by A were false. The court also found that A’s decision to remove related posts could not be interpreted as an admission that the allegations were fabricated.

According to reports, the appeal case will proceed with a revised damages claim of approximately 900 million KRW (~600,000 USD), reduced from the original amount. HB Entertainment has also reportedly been removed from the list of appellants.

Jo Byeong Kyu previously pursued a criminal defamation complaint against A, but the case reportedly ended without prosecution.

The appellate court’s review is expected to revisit key issues from the original ruling when proceedings begin in August.

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