She was hot, hot, hot. Her racy salsa style kicked off a Latin boom in Seoul. With a successful debut album, her own radio show and an advertising contract with a Korean shoe company, Baek was on the fast track to stardom. But her personal star (lite) express may have been derailed after a raunchy videotape of Baek in a bedroom romp with her former manager turned up on an Internet pay-per-view porn site. As fast as she flew to the top, just as quickly did she tumble! Radio stations scrambled to pull her songs off the air. Television canceled appearances and the shoe company put the ads on permanent hold. By 2001, when the dream of stardom should have been assured, with three albums to her credit, Baek Ji Young was disgraced. In Korea, a woman is supposed to follow the unspoken, unwritten law that holds true for disgraced celebrities. Women, especially, are supposed to quietly walk off stage, head bowed. Forever silenced. Not so for Baek. Apparently, no one showed her the script for procedure AFTER scandal. And, her scandal rocked the Korean world. Steamy sex scenes on a porn site. Did we mention we happen to have that very video? At a press conference held Nov. 29, she cried uncontrollably and apologized for arousing public criticism. Then she got feisty, denouncing her former manager and denying she knew he had the camera rolling. Instead of playing the role of the fallen woman, the singer made it clear she sees herself as the victim in this drama. Said Baek: "I decided to come forward to tell the truth to prevent other women from becoming victims like me." We cheer the spunk, the absolute 'I'm not taking this lying down attitude' of Baek, especially from a young lady who was raised in a strict Korean culture that clearly does not approve of women in the nudie news. She certainly knew how to lie down with manager in the most explicit manner. Poor thing. Wasn't she aware that managers are not always ethical? That maybe, just maybe he had a camera and the 'go' light was on while they were doin' the dirty? Naivete only carries one so far, doesn't it? But, this particular video tells no lies. It simply shows a very passionate and lusty sex session, in all of its excruciating detail. Luscious dancer in the arms of her very masculine male manager, caught on tape forever. And, now, we offer it to you, as Baek defies the double standard set for unmarried Korean women, whose sexual activity is not for public view, while Korean men score points for their promiscuity. To further put the nail in the proverbial coffin, Baek's former manager, Kim Si Won, phoned a live entertainment program to say the video was genuine and that he was the guy in it (throughout the 25-minute clip, he repeatedly pulls down the sheets to make sure the camera gets a clear shot of Baek). Claiming he had planned to marry her, he said he shot the footage in his office in October 1998. He did not say why. We really don't believe him; but, it matters not. Whether he was going to exploit this video for personal gain or he was just a kinky guy who got his rocks off having sex in front of the camera, Kim Si Won managed to turn a romp in the hay into a 'must see' item. And, see it you will. In all of its entirety, commercial free, uninterrupted, up close and personal. Baek Ji Young has managed to make a comeback and a strong one, at that. Her album 'Smile' received tremendous reviews and the Korean hottie is back in the swing of things. She did, however, make a few changes. Before she released 'Smile', Baek was rumoured to have undergone some extensive plastic surgery. 'Ul-jjang' is the buzzword for 'best face' and is a country-wide obsession amongst the fabulously beautiful Korean ladies. Half of all Korean female twenty-somethings have gone under the knife, mostly to Westernize their eyes.

With a new face, a new and popular album, Baek Ji-Young accomplished the improbable. She returned triumpant, having survived a sex scandal that rocked her world. She is stronger for it and her lovely voice and sexy body continues to climb in popularity. That doesn't erase the fact that her raunchy video is alive and well and here for your viewing pleasure. Commercial free and available for you to download. Sit back and watch Baek's other source of popularity: that of a sex symbol, albeit a reluctant one.