Media outlet Dispatch has questioned Lee Mi Sook’s testimony from 2009, in which the actress stated that she only became aware of the late Jang Ja Yeon following her death.

Jang Ja Yeon died by suicide on March 7, 2009, leaving a final letter stating that she had been forced to sexually entertain figures in the business and media world. Last year, a petition was submitted to the government to re-open the investigation in light of a witness coming forward, who was later revealed to be Jang Ja Yeon’s former colleague Yoon Ji Oh.

Jang Ja Yeon was an artist under The Contents Entertainment in 2009. The company was run by Kim Jong Seung, who is known as the CEO who forced Jang Ja Yeon to offer sexual favors to various men. The agency also housed actresses Lee Mi Sook and Song Sun Mi.

On March 18, Dispatch revealed that Lee Mi Sook had participated in an interview as a witness related to Jang Ja Yeon’s case in 2009. The report stated that Lee Mi Sook wrote in her affidavit, “I did not know the late Jang Ja Yeon, and I only became aware of her name through this incident. I was also not aware that Yoo Jang Ho (Jang Ja Yeon’s manager at the time) and Jang Ja Yeon had drawn up this document nor have I ever seen this document.” (The document here is referred to as the final letter of Jang Ja Yeon, where she listed out the various instances of abuse from The Contents Entertainment.)

However, Dispatch questioned the validity of Lee Mi Sook’s statement, providing evidence that Jang Ja Yeon got in contact with Lee Mi Sook only a few days before her death.

According to Dispatch, Jang Ja Yeon met up with her manager Yoo Jang Ho on February 28, 2009. They met up at his office, where Jang Ja Yeon reportedly composed the document that later became known as her will by Yoo Jang Ho.

The report further revealed that Yoo Jang Ho contacted Lee Mi Sook on March 1, 2009. At the time, Yoo Jang Ho stated that he met up with the actress for advice. The following day, Jang Ja Yeon met up with her manager again, after which she told Lee Mi Sook that she had drawn up the document revealing the wrongdoings of their CEO, Kim Jong Seung.

Dispatch also revealed the last messages that were exchanged between Jang Ja Yeon and Yoo Jang Ho. In the messages, Yoo Jang Ho told Jang Ja Yeon to clear her afternoon schedule because he had set up a meeting with director Jung Se Ho. Jung Se Ho is the director that Lee Mi Sook reportedly asked for help with her fight against Kim Jong Seung. Two hours later, Jang Ja Yeon died by suicide.

In the end, Dispatch argued that Jang Ja Yeon was used by Yoo Jang Ho and Lee Mi Sook for their battle against The Contents Entertainment and CEO Kim Jong Seung.

The legal battle between Kim Jong Seung and Lee Mi Sook started when the actress signed an exclusive contract with a new agency in January 2009 while she was still contracted with The Contents Entertainment. The new agency she signed with was Hoya Entertainment, which was founded in August 2008 by Jang Ja Yeon’s former manager, Yoo Jang Ho.

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