A Seoul appellate court has ruled that the late actress Jang Ja-yeon had been coerced by her management agency to entertain socially influential figures at drinking sessions against her will.

A recent verdict from the Seoul High Court ordered the agency’s chief to pay the family of Jang, who committed suicide, 24 million won (S$29,000) for sexually exploiting her.

The initial revelation took place in March 2009, when then-aspiring actress Jang killed herself and left a seven-page suicide note claiming that she was pressured to have sexual relations with more than 20 prominent figures in the entertainment and media industries.The prosecution earlier decided not to indict the agency chief, surnamed Kim, citing lack of evidence. In addition, in a civil suit filed by Jang’s family, a district court said there was little evidence to prove the alleged coercion.While the district court only acknowledged Kim had beaten her, the appeals court ruled that Kim engaged in both violence and pressuring her to serve alcohol.As a result, the legal compensation Kim will have to pay the family has climbed from the initial 7 million won to 24 million won.
The Seoul High Court’s verdict clarified that Kim frequently ordered Jang to participate in dinners or alcohol gatherings and pressured her her to sing and dance in front of the figures. “Though coercion was not cited due to lack of evidence during the criminal case, it is hard to say that Jang attended the alcohol gatherings at will,” it said.

The verdict also said that Kim conducted verbal abuse and physical assault during the alcohol parties, adding that it seems that “she was deeply humiliated.”
Her death caused a national scandal when it emerged that she had been sexually abused by a number of prominent entertainment executives during her career, and that this abuse had contributed to her depression.
Since the death of her parents in a traffic accident in 1999, Jang had been living with her older sister and younger brother. Jang made her acting debut in 2006 in a television commercial.
Meanwhile, conservative vernacular newspaper Chosun Ilbo lost lawsuits against two broadcasters ― KBS and MBC ― which reported that Chosun CEO Bang Sang-hoon was included on a list created by Jang.
Bang, after losing initial and appeals trials against the companies, dropped the litigations last year.

Evidence found suicide Boys Over Flowers actress Ja Yeon forced to have sex with 31 men

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Actress who committed suicide in March 2009 while filming in the movie Boys Over Flowers claimed in her suicide letter that she was forced to have sex with 31 people. Jang Ja-yeon, who was 30-years-old when she hanged herself at her home in Seoul, said that her talent agency chief forced her to have sex with 31 people about 100 times.
Some of them were prominent figures in the entertainment industry, while some were heads of private enterprises and news organisation officials
She was also forced to attend drinking parties. The Korea Herald reported that Jang wrote more than 50 letters and sent them to her acquaintances, with the starlet calling the 31 people “demons” and expressing her resentment towards them.
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The talent agency chief, known as Kim, was arrested in July that same year for assaulting and threatening Jang. The charges also included forcing Jang to serve men at drinking parties and have sex with them. He was later sentenced to a year in jail.

Some of the 31 people were investigated by the police in 2009, but none were charged. The case gained notoriety over who was on “Jang’s list”, causing financial regulators to investigate contracts between talent agencies and celebrities.
The Korea Herald also reported that Kim forced other female entertainers from his agency to serve at parties and on an overseas golf tour. ( via Korea Herald  ) 
S. Korean showbiz shaken by sex videos

A series of sex videos involving A-class actresses in South Korea have been leaked.
The videos were exposed after a high-ranking official’s residence was broken into around June, Chinese media reported.
Following the leak, the country’s entertainment industry – known for its ‘casting couch’ practices – will definitely get another hit after the suicide of Jang Ja-Yeon two years ago.
These videos, featuring female celebrities from 107G channel, have been circulating on the Internet recently.
It was reported that some of the artistes have starred in popular dramas. However, none of them has been identified.
The man in the videos is believed to be the same person and the background of most of them are the same.
It is believed the stars were secretly taped while offering sex to the man, said to be a high-ranking official in the country.
‘Casting couch’ is an open secret in South Korean showbiz, which involves female artistes having to offer sex in exchange for opportunities.
Jang Ja-Yeon was one of them. The 26-year-old took her own life in March 2009 when she could no longer cope with the ‘casting couch’.
Reportedly, the actress left behind several suicide notes claiming that she had been forced to have sex with dozens of men.