Actor Jeon Won-ju says fee dispute, not health, drove YouTube hiatus

Actor Jeon Won-ju, who has been the subject of health rumors, has spoken out about why she recently stepped back from YouTube.

A video titled "My 63-year friend Jeon Won-ju is still doing fine" was posted Friday on fellow actor Sami-ja's YouTube channel, showing the two friends and Sami-ja's husband sitting down for a conversation.

During the meeting, Sami-ja asked Jeon why she had decided to pause her YouTube activities for now.

Jeon said she planned to start again, adding that a dispute over money had been behind the break.

Making a hand gesture to indicate money, she said, "When I said I wanted to raise the fee a bit, they said they would quit, so I just told them to go ahead." She added, "I was going to quit too, but I thought I shouldn't be too hung up on money."

Sami-ja's husband, Kim Gwan-su, offered some advice in response. "It's about time you stopped worrying about that sort of thing," he said.

Earlier, the production team behind Jeon's YouTube channel "Jeon Won-ju-in-gong," which has about 120,000 subscribers, announced at the end of August that they were departing the project.

"We have produced and operated the channel since its launch, but we will no longer be producing the 'Jeon Won-ju-in-gong' channel," the team said. "We are deeply grateful for all the support and attention you have shown us."

The sudden departure of the production team prompted some to speculate that Jeon might be facing health problems.

Her agency, Sky People Entertainment, drew a line under the health rumors, saying the change was "simply part of a process to reorganize the channel" and that Jeon's health was "perfectly fine with no issues whatsoever with her broadcasting activities."

Meanwhile, Jeon revealed in April on TV Chosun's "Perfect Life" that she had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment — sometimes described as a precursor to dementia — during a health checkup. Mild cognitive impairment refers to a condition in which memory, language and judgment are below average but daily functioning remains possible, and it is distinct from dementia.