Jo Byeong Kyu School Bullying Lawsuit Heads To Appeals Court As Case Resurfaces

 The Seoul High Court’s Civil Division 13-3 scheduled the first appeal hearing in actor Jo Byeong Kyu’s school bullying lawsuit for Aug. 28. Reports on June 17 KST confirmed the new date. Jo filed the original lawsuit against an individual, identified only as A, who publicly accused the actor of school bullying.

The upcoming hearing follows a September ruling. The Seoul Central District Court previously ruled against Jo and his former agency, HB Entertainment, in their initial damages claim. The appellate court will now review the revised case.

Why Jo Byeong Kyu appealed the lower court ruling

Jo’s representatives argued during the initial trial that the allegations damaged his reputation and caused significant financial losses. The actor lost advertising contracts and entertainment projects. He originally sought damages exceeding 4 billion won, a figure that included compensation for emotional distress.

The lower court rejected these demands. Judges ruled the evidence presented was insufficient to conclusively prove A’s claims were false. The court also found that A removing the related online posts did not amount to admitting the allegations were fabricated.

Jo Byeong Kyu reduces damages claim ahead of appeal hearing

According to reports, the revised appeal seeks damages of approximately 900 million KRW, significantly lower than the original claim of more than 4 billion won. HB Entertainment has reportedly been removed as an appellant in the case.

The actor had previously pursued a criminal defamation complaint against A, but the case reportedly concluded without prosecution.

The appellate court is expected to revisit key aspects of the original ruling when proceedings begin at the Seoul High Court on August 28.