A former actor who retired to become an entrepreneur is embarking on a new path as the CEO of an entertainment company. He has established a company specializing in actors and is reportedly coordinating the recruitment of star actor J.
According to Star News on October 12th, Jang Dong Joo has become the CEO of Woosun Entertainment and is in discussions for an exclusive contract with J. Having a close personal relationship with J, he has been pursuing his recruitment, which is now said to be in its final coordination stage.
J is an actor who has proven his popularity and acting skills by starring in hit dramas. In addition to numerous dramas and movies, he has also showcased his versatility as a multi-entertainer through variety shows. Attention is focused on whether Jang Dong Joo will successfully recruit J and officially take the first step in his actor management business.
Earlier, in May, Jang Dong Joo suddenly announced his retirement from acting, drawing public attention. At that time, he explained the reason for retiring, saying, “I have repaid more than ₩3.00 billion KRW (about $2.24 million USD) of debt out of approximately ₩4.00 billion KRW (about $2.98 million USD) caused by phone hacking and threats, but I still have about ₩800 million KRW (about $597,000 USD) in debt remaining, which makes normal acting activities difficult.”
Since then, he has expanded his activities as a creator and entrepreneur, taking on new challenges. In particular, he drew attention by revealing that he is preparing in earnest for the initial public offering (IPO) of Woosun Group, a company he leads.
Jang Dong Joo is said to have closely learned management and organizational operation through his father, Jang Myung Cheon, chairman of World General Construction for decades.
Along with this, Woosun Group established Woosun Entertainment, a subsidiary focused on actor management, and has begun its entertainment business. Woosun Entertainment is an entertainment company established to discover, nurture, support activities, and provide systematic career management centered on actors.
The company plans to establish long-term growth strategies based on each actor’s personality and potential and build a business foundation where both artists and the company can grow together.
In particular, Woosun Entertainment plans to focus on building a management system that emphasizes actors’ long-term careers and competitiveness, beyond short-term activity support. It aims to gradually expand the activity areas of its actors by exploring projects, content, and collaboration possibilities in various industrial fields.
Jang Dong Joo will serve as the company’s CEO. Having gained experience on set as an actor, he is embarking on a new path connecting management with the entertainment industry through the establishment of Woosun Entertainment.
Woosun Entertainment intends to strengthen expertise in the entertainment field and secure independent business competitiveness based on the group’s business foundation. The establishment of this corporation also holds significance in terms of diversifying Woosun Group’s business portfolio. The group plans to nurture the actor management field as a new business area and continuously seek growth opportunities within the entertainment industry.
A Woosun Entertainment representative said, “It is important to discover the unique charm and capabilities of actors and connect each individual’s potential to tangible growth. Through systematic management and long-term artist development, we aim to grow into a trusted actor-focused entertainment company.”