Jang Ja-yeon

Jang's life was marked by personal and professional struggles. Her parents died in a traffic accident in 1999, after which she lived with her older sister and younger brother. She later faced difficulties with her management agency, The Contents Entertainment, and its CEO Kim Sung-hoon. In 2009, reports claimed that Kim had beaten her and forced her to sexually entertain executives. After three witnesses testified, Kim was found guilty of abuse and sentenced to one year in jail, two years of probation, and 160 hours of community service.

Jang died by suicide on 7 March 2009, at age 29, after complaining to her sister about overwhelming stress. The initial investigation concluded suicide, but it was later revealed to be corrupt. The case was reopened in 2018, and in 2019 President Moon Jae-in ordered a thorough re-investigation. Since then, her former labelmate Yoon Ji-oh came forward with testimony, but her credibility was questioned, leading to arrest warrants. Kim Sung-hoon remains the only person arrested in the case. Jang was awaiting the release of her first two films, They Are Coming and Penthouse Elephant, at the time of her death. Her remains are buried next to her parents in Jeongeup.