"'Victory' in Fraud and Defamation Charges Related to the Late Jang Yeon-ji Case.. Son Seok-hee's Gratitude: Yoon Ji-o Reports Survival in Korea After 8 Years [Star Issue]"

*This content was translated by AI.

Yoon Ji-o (39, real name Yoon Ae-young), who was known as a witness in the case of the late actress Jang Yeon-ji and later faced fraud charges, has shared her recent status following her "victory."

On the 20th, Yoon Ji-o posted on her Instagram: "I am now able to greet you with good news from Korea. After winning both the 'donation fraud allegations' case and the defamation case involving the false statements of the former Gi Hoek-sa (CEO), I am able to greet you from Korea for the first time in an interview after eight years. Thank you for waiting without forgetting me. I am very happy and grateful to have found an opportunity to be properly forgotten now."

She added hashtags such as "Yoon Ji-o, Survival Report, Victory, Fake News, Witch Hunt" to express her long-standing sense of injustice.

In the released video, Yoon Ji-o stated: "I have had a good opportunity to greet you through Korean media, so I am leaving a short video message to say hello first. There was no opportunity to explain where things went wrong regarding the witch hunt by the media. I have been away from Korea for too long. Many of you may misunderstand: I immigrated to Canada in the early 2000s during middle school. My residence and home have always been in Canada. I only briefly visited Korea to bring the (Jang Yeon-ji case) issue into public discussion. However, the media framed me as if I had run away with donation funds. No matter how much I explained or tried to clarify, nothing was reported properly. I was deeply hurt. There are far too many distorted facts."

She continued: "There are so many distorted parts that I am unsure where to begin. No matter what I said, I was labeled as 'lying' or a 'scammer,' and no matter how much I spoke, it felt like talking to a wall. As a result, I developed panic disorder and received psychiatric treatment. Except for sleep disorders, I have now stopped taking medication. I have been healed through psychological counseling. I sincerely thank all those who helped me. I am deeply grateful to anchor Son Seok-hee and Mr. Kim Eo-jun. I am cheering from Canada for all your endeavors to go well."

Yoon Ji-o also shared her recent updates: "There were many things that happened. It has taken eight years for me to speak without crying in front of the camera. During this time, I worked hard as a perfumer, candle artist, and in the beauty business, and things went well."

She further revealed: "There were also bad things. The 'Gaseyeon' (Horizontal-Vertical Research Institute) channel even came to Canada. I never met them and did not pay much attention. You may not know, but through lawyers in Korea and Canada, I filed 64 lawsuits. I also reported the matter to the local police in Canada. There were too many incidents. Citizen groups also filed lawsuits and complaints on my behalf. Now, everything has been resolved."

Yoon Ji-o explained again: "To put it briefly, while I was living in Canada, many people supported the 're-investigation of the (Jang Yeon-ji case)' national petition, so I visited Korea as a witness summoned by the state. I gave interviews with all media outlets except one for a month. Those who know why I didn't do certain interviews will understand. I truly did my best to the extent I could to reveal the truth. As a result, some parts have been changed and acknowledged. Some individuals have not yet been punished, some have been punished, some have passed away, and some have ended their own lives. I do not know about revenge; I simply did what an ordinary person like me could do. What a public whistleblower like me wants is an apology, a proper investigation, compensation for the victims, and protective measures for people like me."

She added: "Regarding the misunderstanding, the 'donation fraud allegations' were also 'won.' I proved everything, including how I helped certain individuals. The agency that worked with both me and my sister (Jang) Yeon-ji also sued me, and I won that case as well. That person, however, received a one-year and six-month prison sentence for perjury."

Jang Yeon-ji passed away in 2009 at the age of 30. At the time, she left a document alleging she was forced into sexual services, causing a stir in the entertainment industry.

Amid ongoing calls to re-investigate Jang Yeon-ji's death, Yoon Ji-o appeared as a witness in 2018, claiming she had seen the "Jang Yeon-ji list."

However, Yoon Ji-o later became entangled in allegations of false testimony and donation fraud. Ultimately, in April 2024, she won a lawsuit filed by 439 individuals seeking the return of donation funds. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence of fraud.

Additionally, Yoon Ji-o received a first-instance "victory" judgment in a damages lawsuit filed by Ms. A, the former So Sok-sa (CEO) of Jang Yeon-ji.

Ms. A was indicted for giving false testimony during the Jang Yeon-ji case trial, sentenced to one year and six months in prison in the second instance, and placed under judicial detention in August 2024.

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*This content was translated by AI.