Actor Jang Dong-joo revealed that there was serious hacking and blackmail damage behind his sudden suspension of activities and disappearance last year.
On the 29th, Jang Dong-joo detailed the painful situation he has been experiencing through his social media. He stated that the tragedy began with a phone call from an unknown number last summer, revealing that his mobile phone was completely hacked, and all personal photos, conversation contents, and contact information were leaked.
According to Jang Dong-joo, the hacker tracked his movements in real-time and persistently continued to blackmail him. He desperately tried to escape the hacker's demands by changing his phone number several times, but he repeatedly failed and had to endure a "hellish time."
The financial damage incurred during this process was enormous. Jang Dong-joo stated that he went to great lengths to raise money to meet the blackmailer's demands, and his family also sacrificed by selling their house to help him, ultimately suffering losses amounting to billions of won.
Jang Dong-joo bowed his head, saying that his efforts to protect his life and his family's happiness resulted in financial damage and wounds to those around him. He earnestly appealed, saying, "I have nothing left to lose now," and "If you believe in me and wait, I will get my act together and repay every single penny."
The messages exchanged with the hacker, which were released along with the post, contained threatening phrases and insults, indicating the urgency of the situation at the time. Previously, Jang Dong-joo had caused public concern by cutting off contact with his agency after leaving a brief apology in October last year. This specific confession has clarified the questions that have arisen.
Jang Dong-joo expressed a responsible attitude, stating that he had not taken care of his own feelings while running forward since he started acting at a young age, and he would not make excuses for the delayed communication. He has now resumed his activities, playing the role of Hyun Woo-seok in the SBS drama 'From Today, I Am Human.'
Below is the full statement from Jang Dong-joo
It was a day last summer. A phone call from an unknown number. A man who knew my movements exactly. That voice is still clear. "Mr. Jang Dong-joo, when did you go here on what date?" When I checked the number, it was a burner phone.
What returned was a few extremely personal photos from my phone's gallery, captured conversation contents, and my phone's contact list. My phone was completely hacked.
And the blackmail that followed... From that day until today, it has been hell every single day.
I changed my contact number countless times. Even after three attempts, I could not be free. The hope that saved my life became even more hellish and painful.
The man demanded everything I could never do. I had no choice but to do exactly what he ordered.
The profession of an actor, or rather, the human Jang Dong-joo had many weaknesses. That man's ignorant plunder changed my life completely in just a few months.
When I came to my senses, I was quickly creating secondary damage after suffering primary damage myself.
I borrowed money by any means necessary. I did not care what I could use to raise money. My family sold their house for me. The urgent debts created more debts. The debts I could not repay created even more debts. Thus, I lost billions and my family suffered, while I sat on a pile of debt.
Perhaps my struggles kept the secrets in my phone safe. But I lost everything I wanted to protect: my ordinary 'life', the 'people' in my phone, and 'the happiness of my family.'
The effort to keep the secret and my lies to borrow money combined to create more lies. When I came to my senses, many people were hurt because of me. I felt like I was trapped in a swamp from which I could not escape, no matter how hard I tried.
Now, I have nothing left to lose. I don't know if the secret was kept, but I couldn't protect anything.
I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt and suffered because of me. Please forgive me. However, if you believe in me and wait, I will get my act together and work hard to repay every single penny. Please help me.
