Actor Jang Dong-joo, who was widely cheered as a "hero" after catching a drunk hit-and-run driver, drew sympathy after confessing to being hacked and suffering financial damage and then announcing his retirement from acting.
Jang Dong-joo announced his retirement from acting. It is his first time in 14 years since the 2012 play A Midsummer Night's Dream, and speculation has followed that the background may involve hacking and financial damage.
Jang Dong-joo, who drew attention with School 2017, built acting skills across numerous plays, dramas and films, and drew attention for showing unexpected talent in the 2019 OCN drama Mr. Temporary. After that, he appeared in films Honest Candidate, Count and in dramas No Tail to Tell, Unmasked and seemed to be on a solid path.
What suddenly made Jang Dong-joo an issue was none other than his "sudden disappearance." On Oct. 31 last year, he left only the words "sorry" on his social media and contact was cut off. The cryptic post and the loss of contact caused much concern, but his agency said his whereabouts were confirmed after four hours and explained, "We apologize for causing worry. The actor's whereabouts have been confirmed, and it is not a bad situation."
Because it was not revealed why he left only the words "sorry" and cut off contact, speculation ran rampant, and on Nov. 20, 2025, about 20 days later, Jang Dong-joo said on his social media, "During that time several circumstances overlapped and I needed time to briefly reorganize myself. The delay in communication during this process is entirely my responsibility, and I will not make excuses for any reason. I started acting at the young age of 15 and kept going without rest, so I think I did not properly reflect on my condition and mind."
After that, Jang Dong-joo experienced several events, including parting ways with his agency. He directly revealed the "various circumstances" last January. He said he suffered serious damage due to a phone hacking, and that he sold his house to raise money and fell under tens of billions in debt. Jang Dong-joo said he borrowed money by any means necessary to protect secrets such as private life and his phone contact list in his phone, and eventually took on a huge amount of debt.
As speculation continued about this, Jang Dong-joo said, "There are countless materials in my phone that must not be opened to the public. For example, it could be a copy of a contract that must be kept confidential," and added, "Before hastily judging others according to your level, I hope you realize that your own way of thinking is only that level."
Despite the hardship from phone hacking and debt, Jang Dong-joo continued his acting activities, appearing in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama No Tail to Tell, which starred Kim Hyeyoon and Lomon, showing his determination to repay his debt, and many people supported Jang Dong-joo for honestly confessing and taking responsibility until the end.
But four months after revealing the hacking damage, on May 15, 2026, Jang Dong-joo announced his retirement from acting. He said, "For a long time I lived under the name actor and received so much love and support. All the moments of laughing and crying in front of the camera were the brightest times of my life," and added, "As of today I will lay down my life as actor Jang Dong-joo. Although I leave the stage, I will never forget the hearts you have given me for the rest of my life."
In 2021, after witnessing a drunk driver hit a delivery motorbike and flee, he personally caught the perpetrator and was cheered as a "hero actor," and when he honestly revealed the hacking threats and financial damage that would have been difficult to confess, he was again supported. His sudden retirement announcement shows how difficult and hard his situation is, and many people who learned the news are hoping he overcomes the hardship and returns to acting.
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