Actor Hwang Jung-min rejects court-mediated settlement in W200m damages case

Actor Hwang Jung-min has rejected a court-ordered mediation settlement in a 200 million won ($141,000) damages lawsuit filed against him by a person identified only as A, who has made allegations about his private life, making clear he has no intention of reaching any agreement.

According to Star News on Tuesday, Hwang personally filed an objection to a compulsory mediation decision issued Friday by the Seoul Central District Court in the 200 million won damages suit brought by A.

Compulsory mediation is a procedure in which a court sets the terms of a settlement between parties before a formal ruling is issued. If neither party objects within two weeks of receiving the decision, it carries the same legal force as a court-approved settlement. If either party files an objection, however, the mediation decision loses its effect.

Hwang had made clear well before this point that he had no intention of settling with A. At a mediation hearing held last Tuesday, he indicated he would not attend and instead submitted a written statement on the proceedings through his legal representative.

With Hwang rejecting the court's compulsory mediation decision, the civil dispute between the two parties is unlikely to be resolved through settlement.

The lawsuit began in February when A filed a 200 million won damages claim against Hwang.

A has claimed that after Hwang proposed a soju business venture, she carried out design work and wrote a scenario but was not properly compensated.

A has also claimed through social media until recently that she and Hwang had a past personal relationship, posting what she says are call logs and messages exchanged between them.

Hwang's side has disputed A's claims, saying that when Hwang initiated contact with A, the purpose was almost always to ask her to stop reaching out.

According to Dispatch, an analysis of 62 recorded phone calls — totaling more than 163,000 characters — between Hwang and A over roughly a year beginning in 2024 found that Hwang's primary reasons for calling were to cut off contact and end the relationship.

The recordings contain statements in which Hwang pleaded for A to leave him alone, including: "I don't think we're the kind of people who should be exchanging KakaoTalk messages like this," "I'm uncomfortable," "Don't contact me," "I'm so scared of you right now," and "Please, just let me live my life."

A had previously cited the fact that Hwang called her first on 62 occasions, as well as selfie photos she said she received from him, as evidence of a personal relationship.

Meanwhile, Hwang filed a criminal complaint against A on stalking charges last August. The court subsequently issued three separate restraining orders against A and handed down a summary order imposing a fine of 3 million won. A contested the order and requested a formal trial.

At the closing arguments hearing in A's trial on charges including violation of the anti-stalking law — held last Tuesday at the Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court before a single judge in Criminal Division 4 — prosecutors sought a fine of 10 million won.

Prosecutors cited the prolonged duration of the alleged offenses, the excessive frequency of contact, and the posting of threatening messages on social media as grounds for the sentence sought. They also asked the court to consider that Hwang's side has petitioned for a severe punishment.

In her final statement, A acknowledged that some of her actions were wrong, but said, "Being called a stalker who one-sidedly pursued a single person for two years is a completely different matter," adding, "I ask that you look at who reached out first and what promises were made between us."

A verdict on A's charges, including violation of the anti-stalking law, is scheduled for Sept. 8.