"‘Acting Academy and Beauty Salon Controversies Are Not True’... Im Chang-jung's Wife's Defense"

Im Chang-jung, Who Has Been Controversial Since Last Year
Wife Seo Ha-yan Shares Fan Club Post to Refute

Soci?t? G?n?rale (SG) securities order plunge incident, hair salon membership fee scam, unpaid acting academy appearance fees...

Seo Hayan, wife of singer and actor Lim Chang-jung, who has been embroiled in controversies one after another since last year, has expressed her position on the issues. Recently, through social networking services (SNS), Seo said, "I was unsure what to say, but the statement from Lim Chang-jung's fan club is similar to what I want to say, so I am posting it on their behalf," adding, "I will humbly accept the criticism and bow my head, but I earnestly ask you to read this post at least once."

Im Chang-jung and Seo Ha-yan couple. [Image source=Captured from Seo Ha-yan's Instagram]

The post shared by Seo is a rebuttal from Lim Chang-jung's fan club regarding the various controversies surrounding him. First, concerning the suspicion that Lim was involved in the stock price plunge incident that surfaced in May last year, the fan club stated, "The fact that the prosecution has not even issued a summons so far means that Lim Chang-jung is not a participant in the incident but rather a victim, and he was mistakenly treated as a perpetrator simply because he is a celebrity." At the time, controversy arose when Lim was seen praising Ra Deok-yeon, the CEO of an investment consulting firm who was the main suspect in stock manipulation, calling him a "religion" and encouraging investment at an investor meeting. However, Lim claimed that he himself suffered a loss of 3 billion KRW due to the stock price plunge and is a victim.

Regarding the suspicion of a hair salon membership fee scam, the fan club said, "We gathered opinions from acquaintances who knew about the hair salon from the time Lim Chang-jung's agency and the salon opened it, and the fan club management directly contacted the salon director to confirm that Lim Chang-jung has no connection to it," adding, "It was not a business registered under Lim Chang-jung's name, and there was even unauthorized use of his image rights." On the 23rd, reports emerged that the hair salon opened by Lim Chang-jung sold memberships to about 100 customers and then quickly filed for closure.

In response, Lim's agency, Yes I Am Entertainment, stated, "The hair salon was opened in 2014 with full investment from Lim Chang-jung to help a hometown friend, but their visions for operating the salon did not align," adding, "A few months after opening, Lim recovered the invested amount and agreed that the friend would continue operating the salon without using Lim's image or name." The police have received a complaint requesting punishment of the salon owner and others and are currently investigating.

The fan club also rebutted claims that an acting academy, which promoted itself on SNS using Lim Chang-jung's name, did not pay actors their appearance fees after filming an advertisement. They emphasized, "The agency repeatedly requested the academy to remove Lim Chang-jung's photos and name," and "The controversial advertisement fees were never deposited into the academy's account. The academy is unrelated to the agency."