Actor Jang Dong-joo recently sparked controversy by posting a video of self-harm on his social media. On the 22nd, Jang Dong-joo shared a video of himself damaging his pinky finger and expressed his feelings about promises he failed to keep. He wrote, ″Promises I have broken thousands of times to myself, countless promises I failed to keep to my family, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, and finally, the promise I made with my father, staking my pinky finger, which I could not keep.″

Following the release of this video, criticism and concern arose, and Jang Dong-joo apologized, saying, ″I sincerely apologize for posting a video of me harming my body.″ He explained, ″This video was not intended to threaten anyone or imply an extreme choice, but was posted to engrave a resolution about my wrong life into my brain.″ He added, ″I am currently receiving help for treatment and recovery with my family and am trying to regain my composure. I sincerely apologize for causing anxiety and worry, and I am truly grateful to everyone who prays for me.″

On the 15th, Jang Dong-joo suddenly announced his retirement during a live broadcast on social media. He revealed, ″With the help of those around me, I have settled over 3 billion won out of approximately 4 billion won in debt, but about 700 to 800 million won in remaining debt still exists,″ and said, ″Due to continuous debt collection, I judged that I could no longer continue a normal acting career.″ It is known that the retirement was made without prior consultation with his agency. Management W stated, ″This was an arbitrary decision made solely by the actor without any prior discussion or consultation,″ and added, ″It is a very irresponsible act that betrays the responsibility and trust as an actor under contract.″

Meanwhile, last November, Jang Dong-joo disappeared after posting a black screen with the words ″I’m sorry″ on social media, prompting his agency to search for his whereabouts. Later in December of the same year, he signed a contract with Management Run but soon terminated it. In January of this year, he revealed that he had been a victim of phone hacking and threats, suffering losses amounting to tens of billions of won. In February, he signed an exclusive contract with Management W and resumed activities. After the recent controversy over the self-harm video, Jang Dong-joo’s social media account has been deleted, but it is unclear whether this was a voluntary deletion or a measure taken due to policy violations.