Singer Jang Yoon Jeong is drawing sympathy after a string of frauds by her estranged mother.
On the 21st, the Seoul Songpa Police Station sent Jang Yoon Jeong's biological mother, a person surnamed Yuk, to prosecution in custody on suspicion of fraud. Yuk is accused of receiving tens of millions of won from a close acquaintance under the pretext of investment but failing to pay the revenue.
Yuk had already severed ties with her daughter Jang Yoon Jeong during divorce proceedings in 2013. at that time, Jang Yoon Jeong learned belatedly that during their parents' divorce proceedings her mother and younger brother had squandered her assets, leaving debts of 1 billion won, and she severed ties. however, Yuk later provided slanderous information about Jang Yoon Jeong to media outlets and asserted ownership of Jang Yoon Jeong's property but lost the case. in 2018 she was even arrested on fraud charges for trading on Jang Yoon Jeong's name, and again she was exposed for committing fraud by exploiting Jang Yoon Jeong's fame.
According to the police, Yuk used two mobile phones this time to pretend to be in contact with Jang Yoon Jeong. however, it was all Yuk's fabrication, and it was revealed that victims using similar methods exist beyond the recently filed complaint, adding to the shock.
Furthermore, Jang Yoon Jeong has already severed ties with her biological mother after their parents' divorce and maintains no contact. in response, Jang Yoon Jeong's side drew a line, saying "none of the mother's words or actions are related," and said "we hope no additional victims occur."
Nevertheless, she could not be indifferent. on the 16th, Jang Yoon Jeong posted a video on her personal YouTube channel "Janggongjang Jang Yoon Jeong" after three weeks, showing herself accompanying a song alone at a restaurant in Jongno, Seoul. in the video she did not directly mention her mother's case but, wiping away tears, said "I'm getting by somehow. I have so many things I want to say that I should make them into songs," revealing her troubled feelings and drawing sympathy.
The story of parents who wield a child's overnight fame as if it were their own is not unique to Jang Yoon Jeong. even in Hollywood, where child stars rose to fame early, there have been cases of parents abusing the wealth of successful star children.
Actor Macaulay Culkin, who rose to stardom at an early age through the "Home Alone" series, is a representative example. after the early 1990s success of "Home Alone" 1 and 2 made him a child star, his actor father Kit Culkin took on the role of manager and pushed him into unwanted projects. as his box office power waned, it was compounded in 1995 by his parents' divorce proceedings, and Macaulay Culkin, who became a star at age 10, severed ties with his parents at 15. thereafter Culkin fell into drug addiction during an unhappy childhood and suffered the tragedy of his elder sister Dakota Culkin being struck by a car and killed in 2008.
At least Macaulay Culkin was able to protect the wealth he earned as a child star thanks to the "Coogan law." the "Coogan law" was revised after a lawsuit erupted when child actor Jackie Coogan's earnings from the 1921 film "The Kid," which Charlie Chaplin starred in and directed, were spent freely by his mother. it restricts parents from freely using a child entertainer's assets. in a patriarchal culture lacking child rights and respect for children, such tragedies occurred early in Hollywood.
Cases in which star children were victimized were not limited to actors. pop star Britney Spears revealed in her memoir that from 2008 to 2022 she was subjected to severe control by her father Jamie Spears through the adult conservatorship system for a shocking 13 years.
According to this, Britney Spears's father Jamie Spears, after his daughter rose to pop stardom, subjected her to mental abuse by shaming her physically, forcing strict diets and involuntary stays in rehab centers. he even embezzled his daughter's money, a form of economic abuse that only ended after Britney Spears filed a petition to terminate the conservatorship in November 2022, long after she became an adult.
In addition, scams by parents who exploited the fame of star children—such as the past wave of so-called "debt investment" scandals that repeatedly came to light—have occurred frequently in Korea. There are also fans who view family and entertainers separately and continue to cheer, as stars' fame is exploited within the inescapable bonds of blood. The confession of Jang Yoon Jeong, who raised a glass alone and wiped away tears, is likewise drawing fans' support.
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[OSEN]