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Actor Jang Dong-ju has openly explained the reasons behind his unexpected break from activities and his public apology from last year.

Jang Dong-ju shared a detailed message on his Instagram on the 29th, explaining the suffering he went through because of a mobile phone hacking case and ongoing blackmail. He mentioned, “Last summer, it all started with a call from an unknown number. The person on the other end knew exactly where I was, and my phone had been completely compromised.”

He stated, “Personal photos from my gallery, screenshots of messages, contact lists, and other data were exposed, leading to the start of the blackmail. From that day until now, every single day has felt like living in hell.” The threats kept coming, and his efforts to flee were constantly blocked.

Jang Dong-ju said, “I repeatedly updated my contact details. Even after three efforts, I wasn’t able to achieve freedom. The life I was holding onto with hope turned out to be even more painful.” He further mentioned, “That individual asked for everything I was incapable of doing. I had no alternative but to strictly obey his instructions.”

He admitted to experiencing significant financial losses. Jang Dong-ju stated, “I obtained money through any possible method. I didn’t hesitate to take any action required to get funds. My family even sold our house to help me.” He added, “The unexpected debt led to further debt, and the unpaid obligations accumulated into an unmanageable amount. That’s how we lost billions of Korean won, causing my family distress and leaving me overwhelmed by debt.”

He mentioned that he eventually lost all that he had attempted to safeguard. Jang Dong-ju wrote, “My intense efforts may have kept the information on my phone secure. However, I lost the normal ‘life’ I aimed to protect, the ‘people’ in my phone, and the ‘happiness of my family’—everything precisely as I had worried.”

He stated, “My attempts to maintain secrecy and the falsehoods I shared to get money led to even more lies. By the time I realized the truth, many individuals had been harmed due to my actions. I felt stuck in a swamp from which I could never escape.” He finished, “I have nothing left to lose. I’m unsure whether the secret remained hidden, but I was unsuccessful in safeguarding anything.”

Jang Dong-ju concluded his statement with an apology to those impacted. He stated, “I genuinely apologize to everyone who was hurt or damaged by me. Please forgive me. However, if you have faith in me and remain patient, I will restore my stability, put in the effort, and return every single 1 Korean won without any exceptions. Please support me.”

Alongside his statement, Jang Dong-ju revealed portions of messages shared with the alleged hacker. The communications included warnings such as, “Do you think you erased all the phone data?” “I have your photo album, text messages, and call recordings,” and “Download Telegram and send me a message,” along with offensive language.

Previously, in October of last year, Jang Dong-ju shared a black screen image on Instagram along with the short message, “I’m sorry.” No particular reason or person for the apology was specified. At that time, his management company Nexus E&M mentioned, “We had lost touch but were glad to find out where he was. He isn’t in a difficult position.” They chose not to provide more details about the reason behind the apology.

Later, Jang Dong-ju stated, “Because of overlapping situations, I needed time to reorganize. The delayed communication was completely my fault, and I won’t offer any justifications.” He further mentioned, “I began my acting career at the early age of 15 and moved forward nonstop without adequately taking care of my physical and mental well-being.”