Staff Reporter
Jun Ji-hyun
Actress Jun Ji-hyun, 27, may have had her mobile phone tapped by her own agent, police said Monday.
They believe the alleged culprits were trying to exert control over all aspects of her life. Members of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency raided the office of entertainment agency Sidus HQ Monday night to secure computer hard discs, documents on its client management and materials related to Jun.
They have also tracked the IP address of those who logged on to a Web site to check Jun's text messages and the company's bank accounts and found that three Sidus staff were using them. Police are to question the company head and other employees. They are investigating whether the agency tried to bug all of Jun's phone conversations.
Since Jun's contract with the company ends next month, said police, it is highly likely that all Jun's moves were monitored. The investigation was launched following a previous probe of a private detective agency that watches people at the request of their clients.
Police recently arrested three staff at the agency, which made 40 duplicated mobile phones at the request of clients who suspected their spouses of infidelity and in cases of property feud since October 2006, receiving between 1 and 4 million won per case. The police agency has also secured a list of targets who were watched. Police said the agency staff also confirmed that Sidus had ordered the duplicated phones around November 2007.
The suspect devices can monitor text messages and the police said the phones could have been used at many other agencies which look after celebrities. "Jun is also aware of the investigation. She was rather aloof about what she had heard," a police insider said.
Police revealed Tuesday that Sidus manager Park had partially admitted to the allegations. "He said the company has asked for duplication,'' an officer said. That was a complete about face on what Sidus said a day earlier. The company had said that it planned no wiretapping or monitoring on any of its celebrities, claiming that amounted to entrapment.
Sidus head Jung Hun-tak first picked up Jun about 10 years ago. She was styled as the girl next door on TV commercials.
Jun and Jung were even reported to have planned marriage in 2004, which they later sued a newspaper company over and received an apology and 30 million won for the printing of "false information."
Credits: bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
January 21, 2009
