Jang Ja-yeon

Jang is a common Korean surname. For others who share the name, see Jang.

Jang Ja-yeon
Native name	장자연
Nationality	South Korean
Born	January 25, 1980 Jeongeup, North Jeolla, South Korea
Died	March 7, 2009 (aged 29) Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Occupations	Actress
Portrays	Park Sun-ja

Jang Ja-yeon (Hangul: 장자연, January 25, 1980 – March 7, 2009) was an actress best known for her supporting role as Park Sun-ja on the hit drama, Boys Over Flowers. After suffering from depression, she committed suicide in early 2009. Jang's death was and remains a major scandal for South Korea's entertainment industry

Biography

Early life

Jang Ja-yeon was born on January 25, 1980 in Jeongeup, North Jeolla, South Korea. Her parents died in a car accident in 1999. Jang had an older sister and younger brother, both of whom she lived with at the time of her death.

She received her education from Harksan High School, Gwangju University, where she earned her bachelor's in Journalism, and Chosun University.

Career

Jang while filming

In 2006, Jang made her show business debut in a television commercial. Jang's first major role was in the hit drama Boys Over Flowers (2009) as "Sunny" / Park Sun-ja. She acted alongside Gook Ji-yeon and Min Young-won as a group of girls whom bullied Ku Hye-sun's character. Her final roles were in the films, The Weird Missing Case of Mr. J and Searching for the Elephant, which were released posthumously in 2009.

Death

Jang's photo displayed at the mourning hall

Jang suffered from clinical depression and had received medical treatment for her illness. On March 7, 2009 at 3:30 PM, she spoke over the phone to her sister about the "overwhelming stress" she felt and that she "want[ed] to die". Her sister was later unable to reach her and, upon entering their shared home, found her body hanging from the stairway banister around 7:30 PM. Jang's death was ruled a suicide by police.

On March 8, 2009, the cast of Boys Over Flowers paid their last respects to Jang at the mourning hall set up at Seoul National University's Bundang hospital. Her funeral was held there the following day. It was attended by family, close friends, and fellow actors, including Ku Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon. She was cremated and buried next to her parents in Jeongeup.

Aftermath

In an alleged suicide note left by Jang, she describes the physical and sexual abuse she endured at the hands of several program directors, CEOs and media executives. In alleged letters written to friends, Jang identified thirty-one men whom she was forced to "serve." The letters also state that the CEO of her management agency threatened to sue her if she refused. Her manager, who was arrested in Tokyo for overstaying his visa in June 2009, was extradited by the Korean police. He was sentenced to one year in jail, two years of probation and community service. Police investigated some twenty others and seven were prosecuted. Ultimately, only Jang's manager and the CEO of her agency were brought to charges.

Jang's case was reopened in April 2018. In March 2019, an emergency order by President Moon Jae-in extended the investigation deadline by two months, following the Burning Sun scandal. An investigation team submitted a 250-page report which was reviewed by a panel. The panel concluded that the original investigation was flawed, though the veracity of Jang's alleged list could not be confirmed. A re-investigation of the chief of Jang's agency, regarding whether he perjured himself, was the only action recommended by the panel.

Filmography

Television dramas

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Boys Over Flowers	Park Sun-ja

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	The Weird Missing Case of Mr. J	Min-a
	Searching for the Elephant	Hye-mi

Notes

• General
• Personal
• Connections

• The original broadcast of episode eighteen of Boys Over Flowers included a message of condolence for Jang.
• At the April wrap-up party for Boys Over Flowers, Min Young-won spoke about Jang in her speech, asking the audience to "remember and reminisce" about her.
• On March 17, 2019, Ku Hye-sun posted a still from Boys Over Flowers, featuring her and Jang. In the caption, she wrote that it was the only picture she had of them together.

Her suicide and the ensuing scandal are believed to have inspired the 2013 film, Norigae.

Park Soo-jin and Lee Min-jung also appeared in Searching for the Elephant (2009).

External links

• Jang Ja-yeon on Wikipedia
• Jang Ja-yeon on Korean Wikipedia
• Jang Ja-yeon incident on Korean Wikipedia
• Jang Ja-yeon at the Internet Movie Database