Comedian Ji Young-ok has revealed her current situation as she rises again after being scammed five times.
On the 25th, Ji Young-ok appeared on MBN's cultural program ‘Exclusive World’ to share her recent updates.
Ji Young-ok participated in the KBS2 show ‘Show Video Jockey’ from 1988 to 1990, where she played the character ‘Aunt Ji’ in the segment ‘Three-Lang Couple,’ popularizing the catchphrase “Get out of the room!” and reaching her peak.
At that time, she was busy with continuous broadcasts and events. However, as comedy programs gradually disappeared, her attempts to find a new breakthrough through investments turned out to be detrimental. Ji Young-ok recalled, “I was scammed a lot by acquaintances. It happened about five times,” adding, “I didn’t go outside. I really didn’t contact anyone. It was really hard.”
She continued, “I lent money because I didn’t want the film production to fall through, but it eventually fell apart and everyone ran away. Another time, I was interested in a large live cafe and only invested without getting involved directly, but one day an acquaintance went there and found that the name and owner had changed. Upon checking, the person who received the investment had sold the cafe and disappeared. I even stood as a guarantor for a loan at a friend's request and ended up losing my house,” she lamented.
She added, “I had no one to lean on. When I told my mom about the situation, she sold our house to pay off all the debts and helped me get a small house. After that, I developed social anxiety and depression, and I didn’t meet anyone or go outside. This lasted for about 5 to 6 years.”
Ji Young-ok's mother is currently diagnosed with dementia and is staying in a nursing home. Ji Young-ok said, “When I was struggling after being scammed by acquaintances, she helped me and even sold our house to support me financially. At that time, I took all of that for granted. I should have treated her well, especially out of gratitude, but I only realized that now. I want to tell her, ‘Mom, I’m really sorry,’ but she can’t understand that now. It breaks my heart,” she said, shedding tears.
Currently, Ji Young-ok has moved to a rural area without any connections, building a mobile wooden house on land borrowed from a friend. Starting a new life by learning farming, she expressed her desire to bring her mother from the nursing home, saying, “Let’s live together again when you get better.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
