Seoul — South Korean singer Jang Jae In recently revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault when she was 19.
The 29-year-old singer went on Instagram on Tuesday (Sept 22) to share the shocking revelation and how she later handled the trauma and dealt with her health issues.
“It took me 11 long years to bring this up. I started working on this album after that incident. A year after that, I received a call from the police, informing me that they had caught the perpetrator. The person who did that to me turned out to be a man who is the same age as me. I was 19 (Korean age) at that time,” said the singer.
Jang continued that the culprit had been a victim of bullying. She said he was coerced by a group of people into assaulting her. “One winter, I was just passing by, and they saw me. Apparently, they promised him that if he did that to me, they wouldn’t bother him,” she added.
“This was hard to hear because if he was a victim, then what the hell am I? What have I been through? Just the thought of it is already heartbreaking. I think it would’ve been great if someone had told me that it wasn’t my fault,” added the one-time girlfriend of former boy group WINNER member Nam Tae Hyun.
The alum of the Superstar K2 television show also opened up about struggling from extreme anxiety, seizures, shortness of breath, insomnia and anorexia. Jang said: “My health improved after undergoing therapy. I’m celebrating the end of the recording of such an old album today, and I would like to share my stories so other victims who have been suffering won’t feel lonely.”
Writing in Instagram Story, the singer said that she initially felt anxious after sharing her dark past. “But after reading all the uplifting comments left by all of you, I managed to calm myself down. I’m really thankful for that,” wrote the songbird of the music video titled Venus.
Jang also assured her fans that she has been coping well with her life after her previous struggles. /TISG