Woman who made allegations against actor Hwang Jung-min goes silent as public opinion turns against her

The Instagram account of a woman in her 40s, identified only as A, who has been making public allegations about her relationship with actor Hwang Jung-min, has abruptly disappeared.

As of Thursday, A's Instagram account is inaccessible. Attempts to visit the page return the message: "This page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed."

A had been using the account since last month to share her version of her relationship with Hwang and to communicate her position to the public.

Two possible explanations have been raised for why the account became inaccessible: A may have deleted or deactivated it herself, or Instagram may have blocked access under its platform policies.

A, who describes herself as a fan of Hwang, claims the two had an inappropriate relationship from August 2023 through late 2024. She says they met in person three or four times after August 2023 and communicated mainly by phone and messaging apps. A claims that at Hwang's request she wrote fiction and other content of a sexual nature, and that she also worked on branding for an alcoholic beverage he was planning to launch. The two sides give conflicting accounts of physical contact — both agree there was no sexual intercourse, but while Hwang says he never even held her hand, A claims there was physical intimacy.

Online public opinion has tilted more toward viewing A as the wrongdoer. While many acknowledge that Hwang gave A reason to believe there was something between them and behaved inappropriately for a married man, they say the evidence falls short of proving a relationship that could be called an "affair" — let alone the "sexual exploitation" A alleges. Many commenters say A's conduct cannot be justified: even after Hwang clearly told her to stop contacting him, she continued to reach out, threatened to take her own life, and even contacted his minor children — behavior widely described as stalking.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393 (call 1393, available 24 hours).

Hwang has filed a stalking complaint against A, and a trial is underway. Prosecutors on Tuesday sought a fine of 10 million won ($7,070) against A, who has been indicted on charges including violation of the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes. The amount is higher than the 3 million won summary order originally sought.

A, who contested the summary order and requested a formal trial, has pleaded not guilty. Her defense argues that it has not been proven that Hwang clearly and consistently refused contact. The defense also claimed that even after Hwang at one point asked her to refrain from contacting him, he later called her first and otherwise responded to her messages in a welcoming manner.

In her final statement, A said, "I will not claim that everything I did over the past two years was right," but added, "There is a world of difference between having moments when my emotions broke down and I did things I should not have done, and being a stalker who one-sidedly pursued someone for two years." She said her greatest fear was that the situation would be officially defined as "something one person did unilaterally when there was no relationship between us at all."

The court is scheduled to hold a sentencing hearing the morning of Sept. 8.