Former head of Hoka's Korea distributor indicted over assault allegations
The former head of the South Korean distributor for running brand Hoka has been indicted on charges of assaulting rivals and filing a retaliatory complaint without grounds.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office indicted Cho Sung-hwan, former chief of JOYWORKS&Co, on charges of bodily injury, property damage and false accusation on Sept. 17, according to legal sources Tuesday. JOYWORKS&Co distributed Hoka products in South Korea.
Cho is accused of assaulting the head and an employee of a rival company at an abandoned church building in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, in December last year. The victims filed a police complaint against Cho, claiming they sustained injuries requiring three to five weeks of medical treatment.
Cho subsequently filed a counter-complaint alleging mutual assault, but later withdrew it.
As the assault controversy sparked a consumer boycott, Cho stepped down as chief executive in January, and Hoka's US headquarters terminated its distribution contract with JOYWORKS&Co. Police referred him to prosecutors in February on bodily injury charges. Prosecutors are understood to have added the false accusation charge on the grounds that his counter-complaint — in which he claimed mutual assault — constituted a malicious filing.
At a press conference last month, Cho's side acknowledged the assault. However, they said rivals seeking to take over Hoka's domestic distribution rights had provoked the incident and that Cho had been drawn into a trap.
20ki@heraldcorp.com
