[Sportschosun, Reporter Lee Gae-eun] Yuk-ssi, the mother of singer Jang Yoon-jeong, has been accused of investment fraud, but police have reportedly suspended their investigation after failing to locate her.
On the 30th, JTBC's "Incident Chief" aired the story of a woman in her 60s, identified as A, who said she was defrauded by Yuk-ssi.
According to A, she met Yuk-ssi at a jjimjilbang about two years ago and became acquainted with her. Yuk-ssi won her trust by claiming, "I have already reconciled with Jang Yoon-jeong and we are on good terms," and by showing text messages exchanged with Jang Yoon-jeong.
Yuk-ssi later urged A to invest, citing projects such as "Mr. Trot," which Jang Yoon-jeong had appeared on, and Jang Yoon-jeong's "2 billion won project." A claimed she handed over about 30 million won.
However, the promised returns were never paid. In the end, A's daughter filed a fraud complaint against Yuk-ssi with the police in April. During the process, another complainant who had suffered similar damage through the same method was also identified.
Police have reportedly been unable to determine Yuk-ssi's whereabouts because there have been no signs of life, such as mobile phone use or card transactions, and the investigation has been suspended for now.
Attorney Park Ji-hoon said, "The case was filed with the police in April, but a problem arose," adding, "No signs of life, such as mobile phone or card usage records, have been confirmed, so the investigation has been suspended because her whereabouts are currently unknown." He continued, "She may have died, or she may simply not be using Yuk-ssi's name at all, but that is also difficult to verify. This is urgent, so if anyone knows where she is, please contact 'Incident Chief' or the police."
Jang Yoon-jeong has stated that she has never been in direct contact with her mother over the past several decades.
Meanwhile, in 2013, Jang Yoon-jeong was involved in a legal dispute over property with Yuk-ssi and her younger brother, saying, "The money I earned over 10 years was used by my mother as startup capital for my brother's business." She later cut ties with them. Yuk-ssi was also arrested on fraud charges after borrowing 400 million won from an acquaintance and failing to repay it, tarnishing her daughter's name.
joyjoy90@sportschosun.com
