Actor Ji Soo resurfaces in Philippines amid W880m damages ruling

Actor Ji Soo, 33, who stepped away from the Korean entertainment industry following school violence allegations, has shared an update on his life in the Philippines, where he has been working as an actor.

On Monday, Ji Soo posted several photos on his personal social media account with the caption: "On set as Dong Hyun, Off set with family. Lovely September days."

Ji Soo has been appearing in "Taskforce Firewall," an action drama series on Philippine broadcaster GMA that began airing in May, playing a villain named Dong Hyun.

In posters and character photos shared on his social media, he sported a large facial scar and beard to convey the rough edge of his character.

In a recent interview with OSEN, Ji Soo said he had long dreamed of working abroad and moved to the Philippines to study English seriously enough to work without difficulty. "GMA approached me first, which is how I ended up working in the Philippines," he said. "It's been exactly two years since I started working here."

He also reflected on his personal setbacks. "I'm someone whose life was once shattered," he said. "When things fall apart and collapse, you reach a kind of liberation. Going through all that made me think I had to work even harder at whatever I do."

Ji Soo rose to prominence between 2015 and 2020, taking lead roles in a range of productions including SBS's "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," JTBC's "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" and OCN's "Bad Guys: Vile City."

In 2021, however, school violence allegations surfaced while he was starring in the KBS drama series "River Where the Moon Rises," forcing him to withdraw from the show and halt his domestic career. At the time, six of the drama's 20 episodes had aired and filming had been completed through episode 18. The production company went on to reshoot the entire series.

Canvas N, formerly known as Victory Contents, filed a damages lawsuit against Ji Soo's then-agency Keyeast, and a ruling requiring Keyeast to pay approximately 880 million won ($654,000) plus accrued interest was recently finalized. While Keyeast bears the liability, some observers have raised the possibility that the agency could seek reimbursement from Ji Soo after making the payment.