Renowned veteran actor Hwang Jung-min will face a formal civil trial against a woman who claims to have had a private relationship with him after rejecting a court-ordered mediation, judicial officials said Wednesday. The woman in her 40s filed a lawsuit seeking 200 million won ($142,000) in damages from Hwang in February, claiming she suffered emotional distress after not receiving payment for her work on the actor's soju development business and novel-writing project. The Seoul Central District Court held a mediation hearing on Aug. 14. As neither party appeared, the court issued a compulsory mediation decision. Hwang's side filed an objection to the decision with the court on Tuesday, according to the judicial officials. Compulsory mediation is a system in which the court issues a decision in lieu of mediation on its own. When either side files an objection, the case proceeds to a formal trial. The woman recently claimed on social media that she had a private relationship with Hwang, releasing phone call recordings and messages as evidence. She alleged that Hwang proposed a soju brand