Nine S Koreans to be charged in actress suicide case

Nine S Koreans to be charged in actress suicide case

Fri, Apr 24, 2009 AFP

SEOUL, April 24, 2009 (AFP) - South Korean police said Friday they would charge nine people in the case of a TV actress who committed suicide after suggesting she had been forced to provide sexual favours to advance her career.

Police said the nine, who were not detained, would face various charges such as coercion, physical assault or defamation.

Three are entertainment agency officials, two are television programme-makers, three are bankers and one is a businessman.

A probe into five other suspects has been suspended until the actress's former agent returns from Japan, police said in a statement.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for the man identified only as Kim and have formally asked Japan to deport him.

Kim is suspected of having forced actress Jang Ja-Yeon to have sex with influential figures in the entertainment and media industry to promote her career, a police spokesman told AFP earlier.

The former agent has protested his innocence.

Jang, 26, hanged herself at her home in early March, leaving a note reading: "I am a powerless young actress who can't fix what is so evidently wrong."

Media reports say the note contains names of people who had drinking parties or sex with her but police declined to give details.

Jang starred in "Boys Over Flowers", the nation's most avidly watched soap opera.