Actor Cho Jin-woong in ‘Signal’. tvN broadcast screen

Due to a juvenile-offender controversy involving lead actor Cho Jin-woong, tvN 20th-anniversary tentpole ‘Second Signal’(Signal 2) was ultimately dropped from the summer schedule for this year. It has been more than four months since the controversy surfaced, yet no party has stated a position on who will absorb production losses in the tens of billions of won. Sympathy also continues for Kim Hye-soo and Lee Je-hoon, who have been waiting nearly a year for a broadcast slot even after completing filming.

‘Signal 2’ completed filming of all eight episodes last August. The production budget is estimated to be in the tens of billions of won. Planning was by Studio Dragon, a CJ ENM subsidiary, while actual production was handled by Baram Pictures and BA Entertainment (an affiliate of Contentree JoongAng). Responsibility for production, investment, and distribution is dispersed across multiple corporate entities.

There has also been a projection that, if tvN files a lawsuit against Cho Jin-woong, liquidated damages could reach the 10-billion-won range. The legal community believes that the specific contents of the contractual clause on the duty to maintain dignity, and whether fault is recognized, will determine the actual amount claimed.

CJ ENM is said to have convened an emergency meeting last December to discuss legal responses, but no concrete conclusion has been made public since.

Studio Dragon shares have plunged from the 130,000-won range at the 2021 peak to the 30,000-won range as of April. Although industry-wide profitability deterioration in K-drama has been a factor, uncertainty around ‘Signal 2’ has been repeatedly cited in the market as one of the key headwinds.

The other leads, Kim Hye-soo and Lee Je-hoon, are being mentioned as the biggest victims. They too have not issued any particular position to date.

The legal community notes that, if the two actors gave up opportunities to appear in other works during the shooting period, a civil claim for lost income could be established. However, the agencies for the two actors have not stated that they are officially considering legal action against Cho Jin-woong, tvN, or the producers.

tvN said last December “We will seek the optimal course for the work and for viewers,” but no concrete solution has emerged in the four months since. Reshoots are virtually impossible, and making an OTT alternative risks undermining the significance of tvN 20th-anniversary planning. If a year-end broadcast is forced, the attendant public sentiment is likewise seen as a burden.