Yoon Ji-oh Revealed Jang Ja-yeon’s Documents
Jang Ja-yeon’s Voice Recording Released Prior to Her Death
April 27, 2019, episode of SBS’s ‘Unanswered Questions,’ which focused on the case of Jang Ja-yeon, revealed an audio recording of the late actress from five days before her death.
‘Unanswered Questions’ first spoke to one of Jang Ja-yeon’s friends who had known her from long before she first began dreaming of becoming an actress. The friend commented, “Jang Ja-yeon wasn’t a weak person. She wasn’t someone who got pushed around, and she was a good person who was cheerful and witty. She was [originally] someone who fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. ”
She continued by stating that her friend’s dark transformation began after entering the entertainment industry. “When she gets lost in her thoughts, she would just stare blankly, then say that she wants to die,” recalled Jang Ja-yeon’s friend. “She began taking sleeping pills and gradually took more and more. Before that, she had no reason to be taking medication. Around the time she began taking sleeping pills, she started to have more secrets. She often became flustered and disoriented, and it seemed as if someone had gagged her. It felt like I was being pushed around. It seems as if someone had something on her. ”
‘Unanswered Questions‘ used the voice recording of Jang Ja-yeon, which seems to suggest a conflict between the actress and her agency, to support her friend’s claims. In the audio file, Jang Ja-yeon is heard speaking to someone who appears who is an employee of her agency, saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just doing everything my company was telling me to. I didn’t make any of my own moves. I don’t have anyone or anything at all right now. ”
When the other person responds that he believes he must resolve the situation in some way, Jang Ja-yeon replies, “How can I resolve this? With what strength? I can no longer solve this with the strength of mind or medication. If they want to kill me, tell them to. Look at what my CEO has started doing to me. Boss Kim is using extreme words and power to fool around with me. ”
The late actress goes on to describe an individual by saying, “He is someone who is very powerful. He joked around that I met up with an old person, saying all kinds of things. They contacted me first, saying they were going to come and kill me. ”Jang Ja-yeon also mentions receiving threats that they wouldn’t go to leave her alone, saying that she has no power in the situation.
Final Reports of Jang Ja-yeon’s Investigation
The Investigative Team of Past Affairs began a reinvestigation into several suspicions surrounding her case on April 2, 2018. On May 13, 2019, the team’s final report was submitted to the Ministry of Justice’s Committee of Past Affairs. More than 80 people were questioned as references by the team as part of its reinvestigation. The team also indicted a former Chosun Ilbo reporter on charges of sexually assaulting Jang Ja-yeon. The questioning was conducted on the former CEO of TV Chosun Bang Jung-oh and his uncle Bang Yong-hoon.
The team also interviewed Yoon Ji-oh and Actress Lee Mi Sook. It’s reported that the Investigative Team of Past Affairs has put forth a recommendation for an investigation into Jang Ja-yeon’s agency CEO Kim for suspicions of giving false testimony when he stated in court that he didn’t assault Jang Ja Yeon. The team also reportedly secured evidence that Kim had forced Jang Ja-yeon to entertain. However, Yonhap News states that it appears it will not be easy for there to be reinvestigated into the suspicions at the core of this case, such as the forcing of Jang Ja-yeon to serve drinks and perform sexual favors, as well as the suspected complicity of powerful figures in sexual crimes.
The team’s final report includes a request for the transfer of investigation records on these core suspicions. However, due to issues such as the passing of the statute of limitations, Yonhap describes that it appears it will be difficult for this request to extend to a recommendation for additional investigations. The Ministry of Justice’s Committee of Past Affairs has the final say on whether an additional investigation will take place. Their decision will be announced on May 20, 2019, after they have reviewed the final report.
The Committee of Past Affairs stated, “We have requested some supplementation and revision to the Jang Ja-yeon final report, including a revision to the wording.” The team has been asked by the committee to have further discussions on issues where their opinions differ.
SBS’s ‘8 O’Clock News’ shared that the team’s final report included content such as issues with past investigations, whether or not there was external pressure on the investigation by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, and whether the so-called “Jang Ja-yeon’s List “exists. In regards to the suspicions of aggravated rape that were put forward by Yoon Ji-oh, SBS reports that members of the Investigative Team of Past Affairs are divided on whether or not they should request that the prosecution consider an investigation. It’s said that even at the May 13 meeting, members of the team had a heated discussion over the credibility of Yoon Ji-oh’s testimony and the truth about the existence of “Jang Ja-yeon’s List.”
Jang Ja-yeon’s Ex-Boyfriend Said He Never Heard of Yoon Ji-oh
A 39-year-old man identified as Mr.Choi stated that he was dated Jang Ja-yeon for about a year until a month before her death in March 2009. Following her death, Mr.Choi participated in a series of questions by the police as a testifier based on messages and call records that were exchanged between him and the actress.
On May 23, 2019, SBS’s ‘funE‘ news outlet released an interview that Mr.Choi recently participated in, during which he talked about the actress. He stated that when Jang Ja-yeon was edited by suicide after telling him, “I’m sorry, I can only say that I’m sorry to you” the day before, he felt guilty for not being able to protect the actress. In addition, he shared that he didn’t want to mention the actress’s name in public out of respect for her family.
During the interview, Mr.Choi said, “I recently read an article about an actress who argues that she was good friends with [Jang Ja-yeon]. While hearing her say things like “I think [Jang Ja-yeon] was sexually abused” and, “She may have been drugged,” I thought she was crossing the line. The least I can do is prevent further defamation of [Jang] Ja-yeon. ”
Mr.Choi continued, “[Jang] Ja-yeon, who was the same age as me, had pride in herself and was bright. We met five times a week, went to each other’s houses, and I even met [Jang] Ja-yeon’s sister and brother at her house many times.” He added, “Around the time we broke up, [Jang] Ja-yeon was taking pills for sleep deprivation and frequently said things like, ‘I’m exhausted’ and, ‘I want to die.’ We met up and exchanged phone calls even after we broke up. When she was asked, ‘Where should I die?’ I could only respond, ‘Don’t do that.’ I was shocked when I heard that she was edited at a location that she had previously mentioned [to me]. ”
This is the first time Mr.Choi has publicly spoken up about the late actress. He continued to explain, “The [Jang] Ja-yeon that I knew would never sexually entertain anyone for money. She was better off than most people her age. She did have to immediately change into different clothes and leave for meetings with people at her company even when we were hanging out together, but [Jang] Ja-yeon considered that as part of her duty as an actress.”
Mr.Choi elaborated, “I had taken her back home to Bundang after her meetings a few times. Other times, she texted me, ‘My manager is coming to pick me up. I’ll come to your house after the meeting. ‘We exchanged simple conversations just like any other couple. I don’t remember a time our conversation was cut off for a long time. Our friends and I find it difficult to believe the statement “Jang Ja-yeon was high on drugs.” Because they had been broken up, Choi stated that he didn’t know about Jang Ja-ye’s whereabouts in the month prior to her death.
Mr.Choi shared, “Before we broke up, [Jang] Ja-yeon said that she was having a hard time because of some problems with her agency. I asked her if she needed help with finding a new agency, but she refused. [Jang] Ja-yeon had a big dream of wanting to grow as an actress. Many people who started their careers in the entertainment industry around the same time as she had already become stars, and when they took on good roles, [Jang Ja-yeon] expressed that she was upset.” Mr.Choi further stated, “She said that she was under a lot of pressure because she had to look for another role after ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ She was having a hard time due to sleep deprivation, and she called me and expressed her concerns while under the influence of her pills. Even then she said, “I love my sister and brother so much that I cannot die.”
While Mr.Choi said he would like to know the truth behind the death of the late actress more than anyone, he can’t trust the words of Yoon Ji-oh that is being published through news outlets. “I couldn’t contact [Jang Ja-yeon’s family] after the funeral, but I’m sure they feel the same way I do,” continued Mr.Choi, “I can’t read an article if it mentions [Jang] Ja-yeon’s name because I get scared. But this person named Yoon Ji-oh, who has no idea of what was going around at the time, is making detrimental statements about Jang Ja-yeon such as [Jang Ja-yeon] being drugged and sexually abused and having to sexually entertain [ figures] and by serving drinks. ”
Mr.Choi concluded, “I, as well as those who were very close to [Jang] Ja-yeon, have never heard of [Jang] Ja-yeon mentioning Yoon Ji-oh’s name before. But for Yoon Ji-oh to publish a book that mentions [Jang Ja-yeon’s] name and produce merchandise? That’s a cruel thing to do. Everyone who was close to Jang Ja-yeon and questioned as a testifier has never been threatened nor followed. ”
Latest News about Jang Ja-yeon’s Suicide Case
On August 23, 2019, the former Chosun Ilbo reporter (hereafter referred to as Mr. Jo) who had been indicted for alleged sexual assault against the late actress Jang Ja-yeon has received a verdict of not guilty in his first trial. The indictment came 10 years after the death of the actress amid reinvestigations. At the time of the Jang Ja Yeon’s death in 2009, her agency’s CEO and manager were indicted for assault and defamation, and those allegedly involved in sexual bribery were not charged.
Last year, a special committee under the Ministry of Justice advised a reinvestigation of the Jang Ja-yeon case, and the prosecution indicted Mr. Jo once again on the grounds that he attended the birthday party of the agency’s CEO and allegedly committed acts of sexual assault against Jang Ja-yeon. However, judges determined that they could not take the word of Yoon Ji-oh, the only witness to come forward about the events at the birthday party. The main issue of judges cited with her testimony was that when she was questioned by police and prosecutors in 2009, the perpetrators that she identified changed.
The judges said, “Even if Yoon Ji-oh – who claims he personally witnessed the sexual assault – couldn’t have correctly identified the assailant during questioning seven months later, he could have chosen the ‘youngest, tallest person that was there that night “Her testimony that the person was a CEO’s news outlet in their 50s is problematic.” The judges also questioned the credibility of Yoon Ji-oh’s testimony due to the fact that after the CEO of Hong of a news outlet – whom he had identified as the perpetrator – produced an alibi, she then selected Mr. Jo
However, Mr. Jo’s testimony also changed during questioning, which the judges found the suspect. They said, “The accused heard from the police that Yoon Ji-oh said CEO Hong attended the birthday party, so even though CEO Hong was not there, [Mr. Jo] testified that the CEO was in attendance. As a result, we do believe it is possible that [Mr. Jo] carried out the actions that he is being charged for. ”
In the end, the judges determined that they couldn’t prove that Mr. Jo was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, as all they had was Yoon Ji-oh’s testimony. After the sentence was announced, Mr. Jo said to reporters, “I thank the court for wise judgment.“
