A photo of Jo Se-ho with Mr. Choi, who has been identified as an organized-crime member. Expos Instagram account

The person who exposed allegations linking entertainer Jo Se-ho to organized crime has rebutted Jo Se-ho's agency's response.

The Instagram account that raised claims of a close relationship by releasing a photo of Jo Se-ho with a man it asserts is an organized-crime figure stated on the 5th, “A2Z Entertainment (Jo Se-ho's agency) representative, take whatever legal action you wish and contact me.”

That was not all. The account holder also shared articles reporting that Jo Se-ho's agency would pursue legal action, saying, “To the host of MBN ‘News Fighter,’ that is what I want to say. Thank you.”

On the broadcast that day, anchor Kim Myung-joon said on ‘News Fighter’, “Both the apology and the explanation from the agency need to address the core of what was asked,” adding, “They did not properly explain whether the person with his arm around Jo Se-ho is a key figure in an organized crime group or not.”

Entertainer Jo Se-ho. Expos Instagram account

The account holder even pinned a recent post that read, “Top comedian Jo Se-ho, what is your relationship with Mr. Choi, born in 1982, the alleged kingpin of an organized-crime group and mastermind of the country's largest illegal money-laundering operation?” adding, “There are so many photos over the years like this. Don't pretend you don't know. If you see this, please answer.” The account also shared several photos of Jo Se-ho and Mr. Choi together.

Regarding the allegations of Jo Se-ho's links to organized crime, Jo Se-ho's agency stated, “This is nothing more than A (the owner of the expos account)'s personal speculation and is clearly not true,” and added, “A is alleging that ‘Jo Se-ho received money or expensive gifts from Mr. Choi,’ but this too is nothing more nor less than A's personal speculation.”

It continued, “We are actively reviewing civil and criminal legal action against A for criminal acts such as defamation by stating false facts about our artist and obstruction of business,” and, “We will take strict legal action under a zero-tolerance policy against the indiscriminate spread of rumors.”

However, despite the agency's stance, criticism toward Jo Se-ho did not subside, and Jo Se-ho ultimately closed the comment section on his Instagram account.