[Sportschosun reporter Jeong An-ji] As singer Jang Yoon-jeong's mother has come under suspicion of investment fraud using her daughter's name, renewed attention is being paid to the mother-daughter rift that has continued for more than a decade.
On the JTBC program "Incident Chief," which aired on the 30th of last month, the alleged investment fraud involving Jang Yoon-jeong's mother, Ms. Yuk, was closely examined.
According to the broadcast, Ms. Yuk approached a woman in her 60s whom she had met at a sauna and allegedly took investment money after telling her, "If you invest 20 million won or 30 million won in a business related to 'Miss Trot,' which featured Jang Yoon-jeong, you can receive 100 million won."
The victim claimed that Ms. Yuk repeatedly stressed, "Jang Yoon-jeong and I have reconciled and are still on good terms," and even showed materials that made it appear as if she was actually exchanging messages with Jang Yoon-jeong, leaving her unable to suspect anything.
The victim said she believed Ms. Yuk and invested 30 million won. When she asked for her money back on the agreed date, Ms. Yuk reportedly said, "I want to die too, and this is hard for me." The victim added that Ms. Yuk also made excuses, saying, "There is a problem at Jang Yoon-jeong's company because of Park Na-rae's issue, so it may be delayed a little. I asked Noh Hong-chul to help."
The case came to light after the victim's daughter noticed something suspicious and reported it to the police.
During the investigation, another alleged victim who said they had suffered losses through the same method was also identified. Police are now verifying the facts based on related statements and evidence.
In response, Jang Yoon-jeong's side explained through "Incident Chief" that "Jang Yoon-jeong has already cut off contact with her mother for more than a decade" and that "although Ms. Yuk tried several times to reach out through acquaintances, Jang Yoon-jeong never responded." The informant also said, "Jang Yoon-jeong is also a victim in this case and has nothing to do with it."
Ms. Yuk is currently believed to be unaccounted for, and the investigation has been suspended since April.
Jang Yoon-jeong has long been embroiled in conflict with her mother over financial matters, and the two are now estranged.
In 2013, Jang Yoon-jeong appeared on SBS's "Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy" and revealed that her family had managed the income she earned over 10 years of activity. She said she later learned that all of her assets had disappeared and that she had even been left with 1 billion won in debt, shocking viewers.
At the time, Ms. Yuk and Jang Yoon-jeong's younger brother denied the allegations of squandering her assets through the media. They also claimed that Jang Yoon-jeong had tried to force her into a psychiatric hospital, but no objective evidence was presented to support those claims.
In particular, Ms. Yuk drew heavy backlash when she launched harsh criticism at the pregnant Jang Yoon-jeong, saying things such as, "I hope you give birth and live like that too. I hope you have a daughter just like you and hear people say they want to send you to a psychiatric hospital and have Chinese people kill you."
The conflict between mother and daughter eventually led to a legal battle. Ms. Yuk filed lawsuits in 2013 and 2014, claiming that Jang Yoon-jeong's income was her property, but she lost both cases.
Ms. Yuk was later arrested in June 2018 in a separate fraud case. She was accused of borrowing a total of 415 million won from acquaintances on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2017 and failing to repay the money. However, she was reportedly granted parole in December 2018 for treatment after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
anjee85@sportschosun.com
