Colleague of late actress says investigators apologized to her

Yoon Ji-oh, a colleague of the late actress Jang Ja-yeon, who has testified that Jang was forced by her agency to provide sexual favors to high-profile men, said investigators have apologized to her for the prosecution’s poor work 10 years ago.

Yoon, who says she saw the note Jang left before taking her own life in 2009, is a key witness in the investigation that was recently reopened by a special commission under the Justice Ministry.

Yoon said in an interview with Yonhap News on Thursday that there were two “key” lines in Jang’s note about how Jang was coerced and her sister was threatened, but investigators did not look into it at the time.

“The investigators asked me why I hadn’t talked about it (to police and prosecutors) back then, so I replied what is the point when they’re not even asking,” Yoon was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

“Then (the investigators) said they were sorry for asking about it now and thanked me.”

She said she her lawyer had advised her not to provide any more details about the two lines. Yoon also said she was positive the note was in Jang’s handwriting.

Yoon also said there were people who were closer to Jang who could testify about what the late actress went through.

“It is the last chance for those people (who can testify). … I wish they realize what is more important in life rather than carrying the burden,” Yoon said.

Actress Lee Mi-sook, who had been in a lawsuit with the agency in 2009, underwent questioning Wednesday, breaking a 10-year silence. She had told police in 2009 that she did not know Jang and didn’t know of the existence of any note.

Accompanied by two bodyguards and a police officer during the interview, Yoon said she did not want to be seen as a victim.

“Two or three things that stress me out happen every day. Malicious comments online are one of them. … It has gone beyond what I can handle,” she said.

Yoon filed an online petition with Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday in which she said the smartwatch given to her by the police for protection wasn’t working and that the police had not responded to the emergency signals she’d sent.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)