Hong Min-gi's agency denies abortion coercion claim, vows legal action

The agency of actor Hong Min-gi, 24, has denied a former girlfriend's claim that he pressured her to have an abortion and said it will pursue legal action.

Hong's agency, Fable Company, issued an official statement Thursday responding to the latest allegations from the woman, identified only as A. The statement came after A posted on Instagram on Wednesday, claiming she had confirmed a pregnancy during the relationship and undergone an abortion, and presenting medical records and ultrasound images as evidence.

Fable Company said A sent Hong an ultrasound image around 6 a.m. Wednesday along with a message telling him to keep quiet. "She had never shown the actor such an ultrasound image before," the agency said.

The agency added that the ultrasound image appeared to differ from those typically associated with a confirmed pregnancy, and said it would ask an obstetrics and gynecology specialist to review it before submitting it as evidence.

"Based on our confirmation with the actor, A never showed him a pregnancy test, and — contrary to her claims — he absolutely never made any statement pressuring her to have an abortion," the agency said.

The agency also said that on July 13, the day A claims she had the abortion, she had invited Hong to go cycling together. When he declined, she sent him a video of herself cycling alone. "We have secured and retained both the conversation and the video," the agency said.

Fable Company said it would no longer respond by repeatedly rebutting what it called false claims, and would instead immediately pursue all necessary civil and criminal legal proceedings based on the evidence it has gathered.

Earlier, A alleged on Wednesday that Hong had assaulted her on the street — throwing and smashing a soju bottle, hitting and shoving her shoulder, and grabbing her by the neck. She also said she learned she was pregnant last July but was ignored by Hong.

A said she has been suffering from aftereffects of the abortion as a college student, and that she would no longer seek a settlement but would respond through litigation via legal counsel. She also made public a certified letter her law firm sent to Hong.

Hong, born in 2002, has appeared in the Tving series "Study Group," the Netflix series "Trigger," and the KBS2 series "My Dear Bandit." He most recently played public health doctor Hyeon Chi-yeon in the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama series "Doctor on the Edge," which has concluded its run.