Jang Jae-in Confesses Sexual Assault: "Perpetrator My Age Caught at 19, He Was Also a Victim of Harassment"

Singer Jang Jae-in. Photo by Jang Jae-in Instagram

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Singer Jang Jae-in is receiving support from fans after confessing to being a victim of sexual assault that she had kept buried for 11 years. She revealed that the anxiety, seizures, and breathing difficulties she suffered were due to sexual violence she experienced as a teenager.

On the 22nd, Jang Jae-in opened up on Instagram, saying, "The album started because of that incident. A year later, when I was 19, I received news that the perpetrator was properly caught. The person who did that to me was a man around my age."

She continued, "The hardest part was that the boy himself became that way because of bullying from other kids."

Jang Jae-in shared, "One winter, when he saw me passing by on the street, he must have promised that if he treated me that way, he wouldn't bully me. The reason this was so hard to hear was that if that boy was also a victim, then what am I? What was it that I went through? Those thoughts broke my heart."

She added, "Now that I am an adult, I have gained the discernment to understand such things. Looking back and reflecting, I think it would have been really good if there had been someone to tell me, 'It wasn’t your fault that this happened back then.'"

Furthermore, she said, "More sexual assault victims than expected are living with shame and guilt, just like I did, despite being victims. I hope that me, who stands firmly on two feet singing, can be a source of strength to someone who has experienced the same or similar things."

Earlier, Jang Jae-in stated, "I am posting this to mark the improvement in my psychological treatment," and added, "It took 11 years to bring up this story."

She explained, "At 18, following an incident I didn’t want to even speak about, severe anxiety, seizures, breathing difficulties, insomnia, anorexia, and binge eating began. I think anyone who has gone through the same thing would understand what that means. It was very hard," and said that the illness that tormented her for a long time has improved.

Jang Jae-in said, "I accepted that I had to let go of the word happiness itself and live a life bound by low self-esteem, and above all, after taking medication consistently for a year, many symptoms improved."

Below is the full text of Jang Jae-in’s writing.

Thank you. The album started because of that incident. After that, a year later, when I was 19, I received news that the perpetrator was properly caught. The person who did that to me was, um, a man around my age.

But the hardest part at that time was that the boy himself became that way due to bullying from other kids. One winter, when he saw me passing by on the street, he must have promised that if he treated me that way, he wouldn’t bully me.

The reason it was hard to hear this fact was that if that boy was also a victim, then what am I? What was it that I went through? Those thoughts were the most heartbreaking.

Now that I am a little older, I have gained the discernment to understand such things, but looking back and reflecting, I think it would have been really good if there had been someone to tell me, 'It wasn’t your fault that this happened back then.' More sexual assault victims than expected are living with shame and guilt, just like I did, despite being victims.

I gained strength and endured by looking at singers who went through the same thing as me. I hope that I, who still stand firmly on two feet singing, can be a source of strength to someone who has experienced the same or similar things.