Actor Jang Dong-ju has updated his portal site profile following his sudden retirement announcement.
On the 18th, Jang Dong-ju’s profile on portal sites saw his occupation change from actor to businessman, with “Woosun Group (CEO)” newly added to his affiliation. His previous profile photo and introduction have been completely removed. It appears he made these changes himself on the same day. He is also in the process of erasing his past history, as all of his current posts have been deleted.
This follows his shocking retirement announcement on the 15th, where he posted on his personal account, “I will step down from my life as an actor as of today.” During a subsequent live broadcast, he shared the specific details, revealing, “I paid off 3 billion won in debt, but 800 million won still remains, and if the deadline passes, it could lead to legal punishment.” He explained his decision by saying, “It’s not that I have no lingering feelings for acting, but I didn’t want to continue my activities while causing harm to those around me.” He also shared plans to focus on movie production and screenwriting, even drawing attention by posting his bank account number to recruit investors.
However, his agency, Management W, immediately distanced themselves. The agency stated, “All actions, including the retirement announcement, were taken without any consultation with the company,” adding, “We only became aware of the situation after the announcement.” They strongly criticized his behavior, calling it “an extremely irresponsible act while the exclusive contract is still valid,” and asserted that “the responsibility for the resulting confusion and damage lies entirely with him.” They concluded by saying, “We believe the relationship of trust has reached an irreparable level and are reviewing all matters, including whether to maintain the contract.”
This isn’t the first time Jang Dong-ju has been surrounded by controversy. Last November, he caused a stir when he suddenly posted “I’m sorry” on his account and cut off contact, leading his agency to search for his whereabouts before finally reaching him about four hours later. In January this year, he confessed to losing billions of won due to phone hacking and blackmail. More recently, allegations surfaced that police were called to an entertainment establishment over a dispute regarding a liquor bill, though the truth of these claims has not yet been confirmed.
