[Sportschosun, Reporter Park A-ram] As police investigations were suspended after the whereabouts of singer Jang Yoon-jeong's mother, Yuk, could not be confirmed, claims have emerged that she had recently been contacting people around her to ask for money.
According to an exclusive report by Sports Kyunghyang on the 3rd, an industry insider identified as A, who said he knew Yuk, stated that she had repeatedly called him since April this year to ask for financial help. A said, "She contacted me almost once every two days," adding, "She said she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and even sent related documents, but it later turned out that none of it was true." He added that the materials appeared to have been used as a pretext to get money from Jang Yoon-jeong.
There were also testimonies that she had repeatedly made remarks suggesting suicide. A said, "She said she would go to Yanghwa Bridge and jump, but three days later she called again as if nothing had happened. For nearly a month, she kept calling to say she was going to die, so I was stressed out and even blocked her."
A also shared his view on why police have been unable to confirm Yuk's whereabouts. He said, "She does not use her own card. She uses a check card under a man's name."
He also claimed that Yuk had been spending time with various people until recently. A said, "The people she was hanging out with seem to be the ones now claiming they were victims of this investment scheme," adding, "Earlier this year, she even sent photos saying she had visited Gijang, Busan."
Regarding her residence, he said he believed she had been living near Geoyeo Station in Songpa District, Seoul, until recently. A said, "Whenever I went to her place, several women were there, and Yuk introduced them as people she met in prison." He added, "She talked about investments and auctions, and it seemed she was drawing people in by saying she could connect them to childcare work at Jang Yoon-jeong's home."
A also said Yuk frequently made negative remarks about Jang Yoon-jeong. He said, "She once said she had materials related to Jang Yoon-jeong and that releasing them could deal a major blow, but I never received them directly." He added that she often mentioned the names of several celebrities who were close to Jang Yoon-jeong.
He also offered a different view on claims that she had been struggling financially. A said, "Jang Yoon-jeong deposited money into Yuk's prison account while she was incarcerated, and after her release, I understand she also supported her living expenses through people around her," adding, "She did enough as a daughter, so it is unfortunate that she is the one being criticized."
Yuk has previously been sentenced to prison for borrowing hundreds of millions of won from acquaintances and failing to repay them. More recently, she was also accused in a complaint of taking money under the pretense of investing in a television program while invoking Jang Yoon-jeong's name.
Police have so far treated Jang Yoon-jeong as unrelated to the case and have been investigating Yuk as an individual. However, because no traces of daily life, such as mobile phone usage records or financial transactions, could be found, they were unable to determine the suspect's whereabouts and have reportedly suspended the investigation for the time being.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
