Allegations have surfaced that the mother of singer Jang Yoon-jung, identified by her surname Yook, has been sued for investment fraud by an acquaintance who claims she used Jang's name to solicit funds, despite having been estranged from her daughter for years.
On the JTBC program "Crime Chief," which aired on June 30, the story of a woman in her 60s, referred to as A, who filed a fraud complaint against Yook, was revealed.
A claimed that she met Yook at a sauna about two years ago and developed a friendship. She alleged that she came to trust Yook after the mother claimed, "I have already reconciled with Jang Yoon-jung and we are on good terms," and showed her messenger conversations and text messages that she purportedly exchanged with the singer.
According to the broadcast, A alleged that Yook encouraged her to invest by saying, "You can earn large profits by investing in Mr. Trot," and "Jang Yoon-jung is currently working on a 20 billion won project." A claimed she gained trust after Yook showed her an investment confirmation document under the name of Jang's company and text messages allegedly sent by the singer. Trusting these claims, A invested approximately 30 million won, even borrowing money from an acquaintance, but never received the promised returns.
It was further reported that Yook even sent A a message, claiming it was intended for television personality Noh Hong-chul, which read, "My daughter's company is in a difficult situation, so please deposit the money into the informant's account."
Jang Yoon-jung's side stated through "Crime Chief" that "she has not been in contact with her mother for over 10 years and has never exchanged any messages with her," adding that the texts and investment stories mentioned on the show are completely groundless.
According to "Crime Chief," A filed a complaint against Yook with the police in April. However, it is reported that the investigation has been suspended as Yook's whereabouts remain unknown, with no signs of activity such as mobile phone or credit card usage.
The conflict between Jang Yoon-jung and her mother has been public knowledge for a long time. In 2013, on the SBS variety show "Healing Camp," Jang confessed that she discovered that most of the fortune she had earned over years of her career had disappeared while her mother was managing her finances, and that she was left with approximately 1 billion won in debt. She later won a partial victory in a lawsuit against her younger brother for the return of borrowed money, recovering 320 million won.
Additionally, it was reported that in 2018, Yook was convicted of fraud for borrowing hundreds of millions of won from an acquaintance and failing to repay it, but was released on parole in December of that year for medical treatment due to terminal liver cancer.
Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon | Produced by SBS Entertainment News
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.