TV
Actress Lee Ja-eun Reveals Shocking Past of Exploitation and Abuse by Former Agency
On October 9, Lee appeared on the YouTube channel '새롭게하소서CBS' to share her story.
During the video, host Joo Young-hoon introduced Lee, saying, "She is the protagonist of events that could make the news," and added, "It seems like a lot has happened."
Lee began by saying, "I wanted to make movies, not live a life like a movie, but my life turned out to be like one. It was tough."
Recalling her past, she said, "I was financially struggling. I debuted in a small theater musical but didn't receive a penny for three months while performing daily."
She also mentioned an encounter with a planning agency's CEO. Lee said, "I went to an agency, and they introduced me to the CEO. I felt something was off about his gaze."
She continued, "He said, 'In this world, you can't succeed just by working hard alone. You need power. Don't you know?' He then mentioned needing a sponsor and offered to help."
She added, "He undressed me and then himself. As he approached, I was terrified and cried, begging him to stop. He forced himself on me. I ran out crying and didn't answer his calls from the next day. It was shocking, and such incidents were frequent."
Lee also recounted another incident. "I met someone through the agency CEO who claimed he would take over the agency and wanted to sign a new contract with me. It included living expenses, accommodation, a car, investment costs, and a signing bonus. It seemed like a fair deal at the time, and he appeared like a prince on a white horse."
However, the situation changed. Lee said, "Initially, he seemed gentlemanly and impressive, but he gradually appeared strange. He had many gangsters around him and often said frightening things."
She continued, "None of the promises in the contract were kept. I was living in an officetel with a deposit borrowed from a friend. I had nowhere to go, so he offered accommodation and sent me to a hotel. I thought this was the life of a celebrity."
But things worsened. "At some point, he started restricting my outside activities, and I couldn't even appear in independent films. That's when a life of confinement began," Lee said.
She confessed, "I couldn't tell my family. I left home to succeed in acting, and my pride was at stake, but he was so frightening that I feared he might harm my family."
Lee also shared her experience living in the hotel. "There was a watcher at the hotel. They knew who I met. It got worse over time," she said.
She added, "I even heard rumors that drugs were put in my food," shocking the audience.
Eventually, she decided to escape. Lee said, "One day, I ran out without a plan. I was terrified someone would follow me."
She added, "He suggested going abroad or moving to a province to live together. I thought, 'I might become isolated from people and die here without anyone knowing.'"
Lee said, "Even after returning home, I couldn't live normally for about a month. The delusions continued."
She added, "My family doesn't know, but I slept with a kitchen knife out. I felt he might break into my house and do something. He even made such threats," evoking sympathy.
Jo Na-yeon, TenAsia Reporter nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr
