Former YPDA Member-Turned-Streamer Jo Yu-jeong Says Manager Kidnapped Her, Threatened Her With Knife

Jo Yu-jeong (조유정), a former member of the Korean girl group YPDA who appeared on MBC’s audition program “My Teenage Girl,” later became an AfreecaTV streamer. In April 2024, she revealed that she had been kidnapped, confined, threatened and attacked by a manager she trusted. After Jo personally detailed the ordeal and her narrow escape, many online users reacted with shock.

In a social media post, Jo said she was kidnapped, restrained, robbed and assaulted on April 14, an experience she said left deep emotional scars. As several media outlets contacted her for details, she asked that she and her family be left alone for the time being.

She said the person involved was a manager who had assisted with her livestreaming work for more than a year, including monitoring broadcasts and organizing work-related matters. The two had built a degree of trust, she said.

On the day of the incident, the manager contacted her and asked to meet near the company, saying, “A friend is opening a shop and wants to give you a gift.” Because the location was in front of the office and the person was someone she knew, Jo went downstairs without giving it much thought.

After they met, the manager took out a pen and asked her to sign clothing inside a vehicle. While she was distracted, he suddenly forced her into a van and restrained her. Jo later said she repeatedly demanded to be released, but he threatened her with a knife and intimidated her to stop her from resisting.

The manager then took her phone and tried to obtain contact information for the company and her family. He also used her phone to send messages meant to make it appear that she “had something come up at the last minute and would not be going to work.”