Tzyang's 'Threat Behind' Lawyer Accused Says "Deceased Ex-Boyfriend Ordered It"

FMD Threat Video Released by Tzuyang
"Lawyer A Leaked It in the Past... Also Threatened"
Bar Association Decides on Ex Officio Investigation of Lawyer A

YouTuber 'Tzuyang' (real name Park Jung-won), who has 10 million subscribers, revealed evidence of being threatened by so-called 'cyber rekka' YouTubers and exposed that the person who leaked the materials to them was Lawyer A, who had a close relationship with her ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, Lawyer A denies the allegations, stating, "I spoke according to the content certification written by the ex-boyfriend."

(From the left) Lawyer A, who is accused of leaking materials to Rekka YouTubers, and YouTuber Jjuyang. [Photo by Lawyer A's website, Jjuyang YouTube capture]

On the night of the 18th, Tzuyang conducted a live broadcast on her YouTube channel titled "I am revealing the threat video." During the broadcast, she disclosed a threatening email sent by YouTuber Gujeyeok (real name Lee Jun-hee), who is under investigation for extorting money from her. In the email, which included a video exposing Tzuyang's tax evasion methods, Gujeyeok wrote, "After watching the video, I would like to hear your opinion, Tzuyang. If there is no reply, I will have no choice but to assume you have no intention to refute. Please understand."

Tzuyang explained the situation at the time, saying, "(This email) was sent by Gujeyeok to threaten me," and "An executive from my agency met Gujeyeok, signed an unwanted contract, and paid 55 million won." She added, "The person who reported my past and false information to Gujeyeok was Lawyer A, who was in charge of the former agency's CEO," and claimed, "I do not know who that lawyer is, but I understand that he has a close brotherly relationship with my ex-boyfriend."

Lawyer Kim Taeyeon (Taeyeon Law Office), who appeared on the broadcast, stated, "Lawyer A abandoned minimal ethics and threatened Tzuyang using information held by the former client," and explained, "Since he was the lawyer for the former agency's CEO, he must have heard various false facts from Mr. B and reported such content to Gujeyeok." Regarding the tax evasion issue, she emphasized, "At that time, Tzuyang was completely unaware of the company's fund management or profit settlement, how much she earned, or how expenses were processed," and added, "She was in a situation where she had to do as the former agency CEO told her, so the tax evasion allegations are unrelated to the facts."

Previously, Tzuyang revealed that she suffered continuous violence and threats for four years from her ex-boyfriend and former agency CEO, Mr. B, and was even forced to work at entertainment establishments under his coercion. She filed a complaint against Mr. B for charges including sexual assault, habitual assault, habitual threats, habitual injury, and extortion, but the case was closed as "no prosecution" after Mr. B passed away during the investigation.

YouTuber Gujeokyeok voluntarily appears at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and makes a statement.
[Photo by Heo Younghan, Asia Economy]

Tzuyang also claimed that Lawyer A pressured her to help with his business. In the voice recording she released, Lawyer A said, "I do not want to take revenge while looking at (Mr. B's) will," and forced Tzuyang to advertise his business, an air freshener. Tzuyang stated, "The air freshener advertisement did not proceed as it did not fit my channel's direction, but fearing retaliation from Lawyer A, who also works as a journalist, I signed a consulting contract paying 1.65 million won monthly," and added, "I paid a total of 23 million won until the contract was terminated."

In response, Lawyer A expressed his innocence regarding the allegations in an interview with JTBC. He explained, "A lawyer is not a profession that directly decides any intentions. Mr. B, Tzuyang's ex-boyfriend, asked me to resolve his grievances, so I called YouTuber Gujeyeok, who 'helps resolve grievances,'" and said, "It is written in the content certification that Mr. B wrote. I just told Gujeyeok what was written there."

Regarding the request to help with the business based on Mr. B's will, he said, "1.5 million won is not a high fee, and I wanted to renew the (lawyer consulting) contract, so I did it. If I say I don't know now, we can examine everything one by one," and raised his voice, saying, "They call it a threat, but I had a phone call after drinking, and that is all."

On the 19th, Tzuyang's side announced that they filed a complaint against Lawyer A for extortion, breach of business confidentiality, and violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. The Korean Bar Association has launched an ex officio investigation. In a notice that day, the Bar Association confirmed the decision to conduct an ex officio investigation, stating, "A third-party report requesting an investigation of Lawyer A was received the previous day." According to the Bar Association's regulations, the president can refer members suspected of disciplinary offenses to the investigation committee. Under Article 90 of the Attorney-at-Law Act, lawyers subject to disciplinary action may face permanent disbarment, disbarment, suspension for up to three years, fines up to 30 million won, reprimands, or other penalties.