Actor Jang Dong-ju confessed that he fell into tens of billions of won of debt due to phone hacking, and the production of No Tail to Tell, in which he appears, spoke cautiously.
On the 29th, the SBS Friday-Saturday drama No Tail to Tell told OSEN, "This matter is a personal issue and it is difficult for the production to take a position. We ask for your understanding," and declined to comment.
Earlier, Jang Dong-ju confessed serious damage from phone hacking through his personal social media. He said, "It was one day last summer. A call from an unknown number, a man who knew my movements exactly. His voice is still vivid. 'Mr. Jang Dong-ju, you went here on [month] [day], right?' When I checked the number, it was a burner phone," he said.
Jang Dong-ju said, "What followed were a few extremely private photos from my phone's photo album, screenshots of conversations, and my phone's contact list. My phone was completely hacked," and "and then the threats... from that day until today I have experienced hell without missing a single day." He continued, "I changed my contacts countless times. Even after three attempts I could not be free. The life saved by hopes became even more hellish. That man demanded of me everything I could never do. I had no choice but to do exactly as he ordered."
He added, "The profession of actor, or rather the person Jang Dong-ju, had many weaknesses. That man's ignorant plunder changed my life completely in just a few months. Before I knew it, the primary damage I suffered was rapidly creating secondary damage."
Jang Dong-ju said, "I borrowed money by any means necessary. If there was anything that could raise money, I did not hesitate. My family even sold our house for me. Urgent debt created more debt. The debts I could not repay created other debts I could not repay. Losing tens of billions of won like that, my family suffered and I sat on a pile of debt," he complained.
He said, "My desperate efforts may have protected the secrets on my phone. But I lost everything I so desperately wanted to protect: my ordinary 'life,' the 'people' in my phone, and even 'my family's happiness,'" he said.
Jang Dong-ju mentioned life after the hacking, saying, "The effort to protect secrets and my lies to borrow money compounded into more lies. Before I realized it, many people were hurt because of me. No matter how I tried to get out, I felt like I was sinking into a swamp I could not escape. Now I have nothing left to lose."
He also said, "In the end, I don't know if the secrets were kept, but I could not protect anything," and appealed, "I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt and damaged because of me. Please forgive me. But if you believe in me and wait, I will pull myself together, live hard, and repay every last won without exception. Please help me."
In particular, speculation arose that his disappearance after leaving a post saying "I'm sorry" on social media last October was an aftereffect of the hacking incident, drawing attention.
Meanwhile, Jang Dong-ju is meeting viewers through SBS No Tail to Tell. He plays Hyun Woo Seok, who was once a youth national team soccer prospect but, after an unfortunate accident that changed his future, is a character who feels anguish and frustration about his altered future.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]