Actor Jang Dong-ju is making a fresh start through an exclusive contract with a live content corporations.
Jang Dong-ju abruptly announced his retirement last May, six months after revealing that he had incurred debt of several billion won. He said he repaid 3 billion won but would temporarily suspend acting activities until he resolved the remaining debt, and while he flatly denied the "dine-and-dash" controversy, he also warned of legal action over defamation, false information and the spreading of private matters. He has since continued communicating through TikTok live broadcasts.
Meanwhile, OSEN reporting on the 31st found that Jang Dong-ju has begun new activities after signing an exclusive contract with Universe Label, the country's largest YouTube live content corporations.
Universe Label, which is regarded as a corporations with unrivaled influence in the live content market, highly valued Jang Dong-ju's potential and content competitiveness and expressed an active intention to recruit him, and the exclusive contract was concluded. After the contract, Jang Dong-ju appeared on live broadcasts run by Universe Label, and it was reported that he recorded about 20 million won in donations in a single live.
Jang Dong-ju is also continuing TikTok live broadcasts. Three weeks after starting live broadcasts, Jang Dong-ju advanced to the A1 league and won live matches against celebrity-turned creators such as Park Si-Hoo. Through TikTok live, he is proving competitiveness in new fields after retiring as an actor.
An entertainment industry official told OSEN that his excellent quick thinking and hosting ability developed while working as an actor, and his ability to communicate with viewers, are strengths, and that because he originally handled a variety of characters regardless of genre as an actor, that talent carries over to live broadcasts. The official added that he is a creator with outstanding ability to make any genre of content his own.
In particular, OSEN confirmed that Jang Dong-ju has not completely given up acting. He told OSEN that right now his biggest goal is to do his best at any work and repay all remaining debt, and that after fulfilling all responsibilities, if given the opportunity he would like to return as actor Jang Dong-ju.
Meanwhile, Jang Dong-ju debuted as an actor in 2012 through the play A Midsummer Night's Dream. He later appeared in the dramas School 2017, Revenge Is Back, Mr. Temporary, I'll Be Your Night, Unmasked, and in the films The Unstoppable Curling Club, Honest Candidate, Count, and Handsome Guys. Recently, he gave a passionate performance as Hyun Woo Seok in the SBS drama No Tail to Tell, which ended in February.
[OSEN]