Late Actress Jang Ja Yeon’s Former CEO Files Lawsuit Against TH Company CEO And Yoon Ji Oh

“The financial and mental damage suffered by the plaintiff is irreparable.”

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of suicide or self harm that may disturb some readers.

On July 1, reports revealed that the late actress Jang Ja Yeon‘s former CEO filed a lawsuit against Jang Ja Yeon’s colleague Yoon Ji Oh and TH Company‘s CEO (Jang Ja Yeon’s former road manager). He requested ₩1 billion KRW (about $884,353 USD) in damages from them.

Jang Ja Yeon

For those who don’t know, Jang Ja Yeon committed suicide in 2009, and the case was reopened in 2018. Although she had depression, it was revealed that several executives had sexually and physically abused her during her career, causing a string of trials.

Jang Ja Yeon was well known for playing Sunny in one of the most popular K-Dramas in history, Boys Over Flowers. Her colleague, Yoon Ji Oh, played a small role in the 2011 movie You’re My Pet. Finally, the TH Company houses actors and actresses like Kang Ha Neul, Han Jae Young, Kang Yeong Seok, and more.

Jang Ja Yeon’s funeral photo.

The CEO (formerly of The Contents Entertainment) creating the lawsuit is the same CEO affiliated with Jang Ja Yeon’s 2009 case. He was accused of forcing Ja Yeon to have sexual relations and serve alcohol to important executives. Throughout the investigations, Jang Ja Yeon’s former colleague Yoon Ji Oh and her former road manager testified against the CEO of The Contents Entertainment. As a result, the CEO now sued them for ₩500 million KRW (about $442,176 USD) each for causing damages to him.

Yoon Ji Oh speaking at a press conference in 2019. | Daily Ahn

Here is the CEO’s lawyer’s full statement against the two:

Yoon Ji Oh joined The Contents Entertainment as a trainee for about seven months from December 27, 2008 to July 12, 2009. As you can see, she was in the company for a short period and did not gain any experience as a celebrity. Thus, she does not know enough about the issue surrounding Jang Ja Yeon and The Contents Entertainment’s CEO.

On June 25, 2010, Yoon Ji Oh testified that the plaintiff never forced his artists to serve and drink alcohol at a drinking party. She had also testified that she had seen Jang Ja Yeon’s revealing document and that the company’s artists created the document in order to be able to terminate their contract with the plaintiff.

After 9 years passed, on March 19th, 2019, Yoon Ji Oh appeared on KBS Today‘s Kim Jae Dong and claimed, ‘There were forced sexual relations that took place, coerced by [the plaintiff].’ In these ways, Yoon Ji Oh’s statements changed every time and it is suspected that she portrayed the plaintiff more maliciously to promote her book 13th Witness.

Regarding Jang Ja Yeon’s former road manager and current CEO of TH Company, he worked as her road manager for about four months. As the investigation continued, he repeatedly reversed his statements and distorted the manuscript by falsely making up stories of embezzlement, assault, and forced hospitality. When his relationship with the plaintiff was severed, it seems he testified to the investigation team by stating words he had never heard from Jang Ja Yeon, with the aim of getting the plaintiff in more trouble.

Yoon Ji Oh and TH Company’s CEO used the deceased solely for their own benefits. For twelve long years, the plaintiff was recognized by the public as one of the parties responsible for Jang Ja Yeon’s death. They made false statements to the investigative agency with the goal of making the plaintiff suffer from criminal punishments and distorted the facts by conducting false interviews with the media. The financial and mental damage suffered by the plaintiff is irreparable.

—The Contents Entertainment CEO’s Legal Representative

Source: Daily Ahn, E Daily, News Directory 3 and Image (1) and (2)