The situation surrounding actor Jang Dong-ju is becoming increasingly complicated. After his sudden retirement declaration followed by the confession of large debts and various allegations and his agency's hard-line response, this time changes to his portal profile have been spotted, increasing fans' confusion.
Earlier, Jang Dong-ju suddenly announced his retirement on his personal social media, saying "I intend to lay down my life as actor Jang Dong-ju as of today." In particular, the shock was greater because the news came right after he confessed to cellphone hacking damage and debt of tens of billions of won.
Later, Jang Dong-ju directly expressed his feelings through a live broadcast. He explained the reason for his retirement, saying "I must not cause harm to other actors and staff," and said, "If the opportunity arises someday I might return, but right now I think it is right to focus on repaying my debt."
He also drew a line on filing for personal rehabilitation or bankruptcy, saying about his debt situation, "I have already repaid about 3 billion won and currently about 800 million won remains."
But contrary to Jang Dong-ju's explanation that it was "a decision made to avoid causing harm," his agency took the exact opposite stance. Management W said in an official statement that "Jang Dong-ju's retirement announcement was made by the actor's unilateral judgment without any prior discussion or consultation with our company." It went on to use strong language, saying it was "a very irresponsible action that betrayed responsibility and trust as an actor under contract," and said the current trust relationship is "virtually irreparable," adding that it will review whether to maintain the contract going forward.
Another recent change online has drawn attention. In screens shared by some users, Jang Dong-ju's profile appeared differently from the existing actor information or showed different occupation information. It has not been confirmed whether the information was a temporary system reflection issue or an actual information change, but among fans reactions continued: "Even when I search, I momentarily don't know who it is," "The situation is moving too quickly," and "What on earth is happening?"
However, some recent allegations of financial and private life issues have not been confirmed by his official explanation or investigative agencies. In the end, Jang Dong-ju's position that "he did not want to harm those around him" and the agency's position that it was a "unilateral and irresponsible action" are directly at odds. Rather than ending, the controversy seems to be growing larger after the sudden retirement declaration.
[Photo] 'OSEN DB'
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