After suicide, actress` letter details sexual exploitation

(ATTN: UPDATES with forensic result in paras 7-9)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- An unfolding probe into a letter allegedly written by
actress Jang Ja-yeon before she committed suicide is raising controversy here
over the sexual exploitation of young starlets by high-powered entertainment
figures.
Jang, 30, hanged herself at her home in Bundang, south of Seoul, on March 7. Her
suicide shocked many as the young actress had just begun to win fame from her
supporting role in KBS TV's popular drama "Boys Over Flowers."
While Jang's family has said she suffered from depression, her former manager
claimed there were "more specific reasons" behind the starlet's death and
revealed a 12-page letter she allegedly sent him last month.
In the letter revealed by KBS TV over the weekend, Jang gives detailed accounts
of how she was forced to perform sexual favors for powerful figures, including a
TV producer and executives at Korea's top entertainment firm. Jang wrote that she
was forced to join a golf trip outside Seoul, where she was ordered to drink
alcohol and have sex with influential men against her will.
"I am a powerless young actress who can't fix what is so evidently wrong," the
letter said.
Jang also said she barely earned any profit, and didn't even know how much she
was making because her agent "took care" of all her finances.
On Tuesday, an official at the Bundang police precinct in Gyeonggi Province
confirmed the handwriting on the letter is almost identical to that in her diary
secured from her home.
"There is no mistake in saying the letter's handwriting is the same as hers," the
official said on condition of anonymity, citing police received the confirming
forensic result from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation.
The confirmation will likely prompt police to summon the entertainment agents
listed in Jang's letter.
"If Jang did write the letter, all of these people will be questioned and punished
if found guilty," said Oh Ji-yong, the officer in charge of the investigation at
the police precinct. "We have made several attempts to contact the head of Jang's
former agency, but have so far failed to contact him."
The authenticity of the letter, however, is still in question, as Jang's family
members claim they were unaware of any such hardships and have questioned why the
manager suddenly chose to reveal the letter at this time.
Regardless, this is not the first time such suspicions have been raised
concerning the local entertainment industry. The reputations of several female
celebrities have been tarnished in recent years after videos of them having sex
appeared on the Internet, downloaded by millions.
Agents and managers often pressure actresses to have sex with them while being
videotaped, using it as blackmail to prevent the starlets from skipping to bigger
firms offering more money after they become famous. Largely due to lingering
Confucian values in Korea, it often takes years for these stigmatized female
celebrities to re-emerge in the spotlight, if they do at all.
Despite these circumstances, upcoming female celebrities say they "have no other
choice" but to do as they are told in order to start their careers and earn
money.
"I knew that he might use the video tape to threaten me, but I had no choice but
to believe in him. It was either that or return to being a nobody and give up my
dreams," actress Lee Tae-ran had said in a tearful press conference after her sex
video was leaked in 2001.
Last year, the Fair Trade Commission asked 10 major entertainment firms to amend
their contracts with more than 300 celebrity clients it believes had been
subjected to unfair deals that violated the right to privacy.
The commission plans to establish a "standard contract" format this year to root
out persistent feuds, concentrating on the first contract between new stars and
their agents. An opposition lawmaker also submitted similar legislation last
week.
"We hope this turns out to be false, but if it is indeed true, something must be
done right away," the Korea Broadcasting, Film and Arts Labor Union said in a
press release Monday. "We plan to conduct our own investigation into whether any
other actors have fallen victim to sexual pressure or financial extortion."
"If any similar cases are found, we plan to report them to the authorities
immediately and seek their resolution."
hayney@yna.co.kr
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