Singer Kim Jae-joong has raised concerns about the poor initial response from financial institutions amid his financial hacking ordeal.

On 7th, Kim Jae-joong revealed the fact of the hacking incident to his fans through the official fan communication platform 'From', stating, "I was hacked on Kakao Pay."

Recently, Kim Jae-joong appeared on SBS 'Shoe Off and Single Man' and confessed about the invasion of privacy he had suffered from sasaeng fans. He said, "I come home at night or somehow manage to get in. I was so stressed that I moved to a higher floor. I ended up moving to a jeonse on the same floor as the front building. When I went to the half-basement-like first floor, they could see me from above. So, I planted trees, and they came over from the opposite side and trespassed. It was when I didn't have a door lock; I kept getting photo mails showing my back inside my home. My bedroom, bathroom, kitchen when I was not there. They were roaming around. It was very scary."

In addition, he said, "One time I was sleeping. I thought I was experiencing sleep paralysis. While I was asleep, a woman with long black hair was above my head. I felt something touch my lips. The manager called the police, but they were just let go," and, "I had about 7 or 8 cars. People questioned if it was because of material desires, but I had to memorize each car every time I went out to avoid buying an unknown one. I always intentionally damaged my own car. The insurance company had to see my face when the police arrived," expressing that he never felt safe. Even at home, he felt insecure, and just thinking about it made him feel extremely uneasy. At that time, it had become common in society to feel that entertainers had to endure such things."

In fact, he had regularly been suffering from harassment, including posting articles about sasaeng taxis, and news that he was hacked in his financial accounts evoked much sympathy from many.

Moreover, Kim Jae-joong is currently the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Incode Entertainment, which manages girl group Say My Name, actress Oh Ji-yul, and Kara’s Nicole. Kakao Pay is a financial support service that allows for easy payment and remittance through cards or accounts, which, if hacked, could lead to significant monetary losses, raising more concerns.

Particularly, while conveying the hacking incident, he said, "When I called the counseling center, they redirected me to the securities counseling center. They said there was another security and incident center, so I was transferred again; after an hour on the phone, I couldn’t resolve it and had to end the call due to my work," and added, "If I don't know the password, I can't delete the account of the person who hacked me. The password changed because I was hacked; how am I supposed to know it?" expressing his frustration.

He pointed out the inadequate initial response, stating, "When they said they would introduce me to another counselor, I asked what department it was, and it was the counseling department I initially spoke to. My mental state broke," and added, "I understand that the counselors are struggling, but this is just too inadequate. Even if I was hacked, am I supposed to know the new password set by the hacker?" He raised concerns over the lack of an appropriate response system despite it being a matter where swift action is required to prevent additional damage.

Fortunately, Kim Jae-joong's hacking incident was resolved safely without additional damage. He reassured fans through an additional 'From' message two days later on the 9th, stating, "It took a day and a half, but I eventually canceled my account." He also conveyed, "It was indeed a terrifying day," sharing his distressing feelings at that time.

Meanwhile, Kim Jae-joong is set to release his new EP 'Beauty in Chaos' on the 15th and make his comeback. He is also scheduled to meet fans at the '2025 KIM JAE JOONG ASIA TOUR CONCERT "Beauty in Chaos" IN SEOUL' on the 24th and 25th.

[Photo] OSEN DB

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