Actor Jang Dong-joo pushed back against shocking claims that he walked out on a nightlife venue without paying, insisting the reports are false and that he’s being unfairly maligned.
According to OSEN on the 25th, Jang addressed the so-called “unpaid bar tab” controversy, stating, “It wasn’t an intentional dine-and-dash.” Earlier, one outlet reported that in May he visited a nightlife establishment, failed to pay a tab of about 3 million won (approximately $2,200), and that police were ultimately called to the scene.
Explaining the situation, Jang said, “Because I have outstanding debts, an older acquaintance offered to help me with repayment and asked to hear my current situation. So we agreed to meet at that location.” He added, “The acquaintance told me to have a drink while waiting, so I waited—but they got drunk and never made it to the site, which is how the problem started.”
Jang continued, “When my party still didn’t show up, the venue asked me to pay. I said I would settle it the next day, and they called the police.” He pushed back on the media narrative, saying, “Even the article says I went home after promising to transfer the money by 6 p.m. the following day, yet the ‘dine-and-dash’ reports came out before that deadline.”
He also claimed the bill has already been paid. “I transferred the full amount, and the police informed me they would close the case,” he said. He added that he is preparing legal action “for defamation, false information, and invasion of privacy.”
The controversy erupted right after Jang announced his retirement from acting, fueling even bigger buzz. Earlier this year, he said he was the victim of a phone-hacking and blackmail scheme that caused losses in the tens of billions of won. With help from family and friends, he said he has repaid over 3 billion won of roughly 4 billion won (about $2.9 million) in debt, leaving around 700–800 million won (about $520,000–$600,000) outstanding.
On May 15, Jang announced he would halt acting activities, saying it was nearly impossible to work while creditors were showing up at filming locations and even at his agency. However, reports said his agency characterized the retirement announcement as a unilateral decision and vowed a stern response.
Born in 1994, Jang most recently appeared in the SBS drama No Tail to Tell, which ended its run in February.