Actress Yoon Ji-oh sued again, this time for obscenity

Actress and model Yoon Ji-oh looks at her smartphone at Incheon International Airport, April 24, before leaving for Canada. Feminist author Kim Su-min disclosed social media and KakaoTalk messages between herself and Yoon, in order to back her claim that Yoon's real intention is to make money by selling her stories about late actress Jang Ja-yeon. Kim sued Yoon for defamation. Yoon is also facing another lawsuit for obscenity. / Korea Times file

'Whistleblower' faces credibility backlash

By Kang Hyun-kyung

South Korea has been wrestling with the dark side of whistleblowing recently after actress and model Yoon Ji-oh became embroiled in a controversy for her dubious past and inconsistent testimony about actress Jang Ja-yeon, who committed suicide in March 2009.

Yoon was once portrayed as a courageous woman who stood against corrupt and sexually abusive practices in show business that allegedly led to Jang's death.

Her “heroics,” however, are being brought into question.

Yoon has been the topic of controversy over her testimony but recently also for her revealing attire. Last week, Yoon, 29, was sued by an unnamed citizen for the alleged violation of the sex offense law prohibiting obscenity. The citizen filed a complaint against Yoon with Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul on Friday, claiming some of her videos uploaded on Afreeca TV ― Korea's version of YouTube ― breached the obscenity rule, requesting the law enforcement agency investigate the actress.

In one of the videos, Yoon wore a short, tight dress, with a low neckline revealing her cleavage; in another she wore a Korean Air uniform with a skirt shorter than is worn by flight attendants with the airline. In both videos it was suggested that she was posing suggestively.

The videos embarrassed people who have been supporting the whistleblower. Earlier, Yoon said in several media interviews that she tried to keep a low profile and disappeared from the public eye after Jang's death, which was her way of paying tribute to her fellow actress.

Yoon, who has been staying in Toronto, Canada since she left Seoul in April, claimed the accuser seemed to have underestimated her just because she is a young woman and alleged he even tried to end her career. In a post on Instagram, she said the lawsuit didn't scare her at all and she was wondering why the accuser decided to file the suit.

But the actress didn't mention anything about her plans to travel to Korea for the investigation or whether she would hire a lawyer to prepare for the legal battle.

The obscenity suit is the second lawsuit to be filed against the actress this year.

In April, feminist author Kim Su-min sued Yoon for defamation. Kim claimed she came to know Yoon when the latter was working on her memoir about the late actress and said that she tried to help the first-time author.

Yoon's current circumstance stands in stark contrast to her status months ago. She received a hero's welcome in Korea after she returned to Korea in March to testify about Jang's death. Her testimony was given before the prosecution's special committee to reinvestigate a few cases which the Moon Jae-in government singled out as needing thorough reviews.

The actress arrived in South Korea with her memoir “The 13th Testimony” which was released in March to mark the 10th anniversary of Jang's death. Jang was found dead at her home in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province in March 2009. Police concluded Jang committed suicide because she was “frightened of the repercussions” from a list she had compiled of influential people for whom she allegedly was forced to provide sexual services. After interviewing friends and family, police concluded that Jang's suicide was due to the extreme fear that the list would end her career.

The book title “The 13th Testimony” came from the number of testimonies Yoon gave during the investigations after Jang's death. In the memoir, Yoon claimed she was close to the late actress as they were once at the same agency, The Content.

Yoon, who was an unknown actress, became a celebrity.

She sat down with several TV show hosts for interviews. She was described by some media outlets as a courageous actress who has had a lonely fight for the past 10 years to unearth the truth about the death of a fellow actress.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family provided free accommodation for Yoon during her 40-day stay in the country.

Rep. Ahn Min-seok and several lawmakers from what is now the Democratic Party of Korea sided with her and showed their support for the actress, promising they would protect the whistleblower. Yoon was put into a witness protection program and given a watch from the police which she could use to let the police know her whereabouts in case she was in danger or facing a security threat.

A journalist-turned-YouTuber, meanwhile, helped her raise money to continue to fight for the truth by sharing her bank account information on his channel near the end of his interview with Yoon.

Around that time, some people began to question Yoon's testimony in the media.

She reversed her story several times, changed her words about the man who sexually harassed Jang during a dinner party held for the birthday of their agency CEO. She first pointed her finger at an unnamed president of a media outlet, then changed her words pointing her finger at another. Her inconsistent testimony and unclear memory of the circumstances troubled investigators trying to unearth the truth.

Those who are familiar with Jang and Yoon testified that what Yoon said in several media interviews were not based on facts. In a media interview, an unnamed former manager of The Content who was in charge of the schedules of both Yoon and Jang said the two actresses didn't know each other very well. He said he was embarrassed when he saw Yoon on TV because what she said was not based on facts.

Jang's former boyfriend also made similar remarks.

Amid suspicions about Yoon, writer Kim Su-min filed a lawsuit against her in April for defamation and spreading rumors about her. Kim claimed Yoon “used” Jang's death to make money and the actress made this clear when the two communicated. Kim revealed her KakaoTalk messages with the actress.

“She told me that she didn't know Jang very well and they were not close,” Kim said in a recent media interview.

Yoon left Seoul for Canada in April around the time Kim brought suit against her and has since lived in her home in Toronto. Yoon denied the allegations about her but didn't mention when she would come back to Korea for questioning.