Former actor Jang Dongjoo, who retired from the entertainment industry after falling into tens of billions of KRW in debt from a hacking scheme, has started a new career as a live content creator.
According to a report from Xports News on the 31st, Jang Dongjoo recently signed an exclusive contract with Universe Label, a live-streaming company run by CEO Ryu Jaeyoung. The agency reportedly signed him after seeing his strong potential as a streamer.
Jang Dongjoo made his live-streaming debut on Sparta Label's broadcast and instantly drew a massive crowd, proving he is still popular. It was reported that he received approximately 20 million KRW (about $13,916) in viewer donations from that single stream alone.
His growth on Tiktok was just as fast. Only three weeks after starting, he reached the platform's highest rank, the A1 League. He even won back-to-back live-stream battles against famous stars, such as actor Park Sihoo and singer MC Mong. According to reports, he now earns an average of about 1 million KRW (about $695) a day, making around 30 to 40 million KRW (about $20,870 to $27,827) each month from his Tiktok lives.
Jang Dongjoo made his acting debut in the 2017 drama 'School 2017' and was set for a bright future with projects like 'No Tail to Tell' and several films on the way. However, earlier this year, his career came to a sudden stop after he became the victim of a severe hacking and extortion scheme.
The hackers threatened to leak his private photos, personal messages, and friends' contact details if he didn't give them money. Despite changing his phone number three times, things only got worse. His family even went as far as selling their house to raise the money. In his desperate attempt to pay them off, Jang Dongjoo took on a massive debt that eventually grew into tens of billions of KRW, leaving him financially ruined.
In January, he apologized publicly, saying, "After becoming the victim of hacking and extortion, I tried everything I could to borrow money. I sincerely apologize to everyone who was affected because of me. I promise to get my life back on track and repay every single won without exception."
Then in May, he announced his retirement, saying, "As of today, I am laying down my life as actor Jang Dongjoo. Although I'm leaving the stage, I'll never forget the love and support you've given to me."
Meanwhile, an industry insider commented on his new path, noting, "Jang Dongjoo was originally an actor who could portray a wide variety of characters regardless of genre. That talent has carried over into live streaming. No matter what kind of content he does, he has an amazing ability to make it his own."
Despite doing well as a streamer, Jang Dongjoo made it clear that he hasn't given up on acting. In a direct phone interview with Xports News on the 31st, he shared, "Right now, my biggest goal is to do whatever I can and pay off all my remaining debt." He added:
"Once I've fulfilled all my responsibilities, if I'm given the opportunity, I'd like to return as actor Jang Dongjoo."
In the meantime, Jang Dongjoo is scheduled to go live again with Universe Label's Sparta Label at 6 PM (KST) on the 31st to connect with his audience.
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