Actor Jang Dong-joo says he was pushed into massive debt after his phone was hacked and he became the target of extortion.
On the 29th, the actor posted a lengthy message on social media revealing he’d fallen victim to a phone hacking incident last year.
“It was one day last summer,” he wrote. “A call came in from an unknown number. The man on the line knew exactly where I’d been―his voice is still so clear in my head. ‘Mr. Jang Dong-joo, didn’t you go here on this date?’ When I traced the number, it turned out to be a burner phone.”
“After that came several extremely private photos from my camera roll, screenshots of my messages, and my entire contacts list,” he continued. “My phone had been completely compromised. Then the threats began. From that day until today, not a single day has felt anything short of hell.”
Jang said he “changed numbers countless times,” but even after three attempts he couldn’t break free. “That man demanded everything I could never bring myself to do. In the end, I followed his instructions to the letter,” he wrote.
“As an actor―or just as a person―I had too many vulnerabilities,” he added. “His crude, relentless plundering overturned my life in a matter of months. Before I knew it, I went from being the primary victim to causing secondary harm to others.”
“I borrowed money by any means I could,” Jang wrote. “My family even sold our home for me. The urgent debts created new debts, and the ones I couldn’t repay snowballed into more I couldn’t repay. I burned through billions of won, my family suffered, and I ended up buried under a mountain of debt.”
He added, “Maybe my desperation kept the secrets on my phone from getting out. But I lost exactly what I wanted to protect: my ordinary life, the people in my phone, and my family’s happiness.”
“The lies I told to keep those secrets and to borrow money bred more lies,” he continued. “When I finally came to my senses, I saw how many people I’d hurt. It felt like I was trapped in a swamp I couldn’t escape. In the end, even if the secret stayed hidden, I protected nothing.”
Jang offered a public apology: “To those I hurt and harmed because of me, I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.” He added, “If you can trust me and give me time, I will get my head on straight and work to repay every last won. Please help me.”
Back in October, Jang alarmed fans by posting only the words “I’m sorry” before going off the grid. His agency later assured fans that his whereabouts were confirmed and that there was “no bad situation.” Jang subsequently apologized, explaining he needed time to regroup amid various personal circumstances and taking full responsibility for the delay in communication.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)