“Sorry.” That was the only message posted by actor Jang Dong-ju this morning on his Instagram account. The single-word post, accompanied by a black background, immediately sparked worry among fans and media alike.
Later that day, his agency, NEXUS E&M, confirmed that Jang Dong-ju had become unreachable. According to the agency:
On October 30, he told his parents he’d be returning home the next day, but as of the afternoon of October 31, he had not arrived.
The agency and his family were actively trying to locate him. Shortly after these reports, the agency issued a follow-up statement around 15:57 KST: they had successfully confirmed his whereabouts and said “there is no indication of a bad situation”.
However, they declined to provide further details, only offering apologies for the concern caused.
The recent move by actor Jang Dong Joo has sparked widespread discussion, largely because he once clashed with a major figure in the entertainment industry about four years ago. At that time, Jang Dong Joo publicly revealed on his personal Instagram that he had caught a CEO from an entertainment company fleeing the scene after causing a traffic accident.
Back then, the actor expressed his outrage at the CEO’s inappropriate behavior: “Just a few hours ago, I witnessed a driver hit a motorbike and flee the scene. I recognized that the motorbike belonged to a Chinese restaurant I often dine at. I immediately thought of the restaurant owner, who had once shared how difficult business had become due to COVID-19. I chased the car and asked the driver to stop. I told him he had to take responsibility for the crash with the motorbike. But the driver fled again. I caught him once more. When he stepped out of the car, I could clearly smell alcohol on him. I asked, ‘How could you just leave like that?’ He then handed me a business card and offered to settle the matter with money. It turned out the hit-and-run driver was the CEO of an entertainment company.”
Jang Dong-ju made his media debut in the drama School 2017 and gained wider attention through the film Honest Candidate and the Netflix original series Trigger.
Notably, in 2021 he drew praise for intervening in a hit-and-run alcohol-related incident by pursuing the fleeing vehicle, leading to significant public recognition.
While the situation appears to have stabilized (he has been located, no signs of harm), the reason for his initial disappearance—or the cryptic apology—remains undisclosed. The fact that he became unreachable and posted without explanation has raised questions:
Was it a personal matter? Was it an early sign of mental or physical distress Will this impact his upcoming work?
Indeed, his next project, the drama Human from Today (SBS), reset to begin filming soon, and its production team stated that filming has been completed, yet they are still confirming the situation.
Sources: Daum
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