6 Korean Stars Who Had To Cut Off Ties With Family Members Who Betrayed Them
The ongoing feud among the late veteran actress Choi Jin Sil‘s family members has shocked the nation. The actress’s daughter, Choi Jun Hee, made headlines after it was reported that she called the police on her grandmother for trespassing. In the following days, accusations came from both sides. Jun Hee proved her claims by posting shocking videos on her social media, showing her grandmother’s abusive attitude.
The public is horrified after unearthing the truth, such family conflicts being exposed to the public is hardly a rarity in the Korean entertainment industry.
1. Park Soo Hong
Comedian Park Soo Hong had appointed his brother as his manager, and he kept the role for about 30 years since his debut. Later, it was reported that Park shockingly discovered that most of the profits earned during those long years mostly went to his brother’s family and nephew. The comedian learned the truth while verifying a corporation established by his brother and eventually filed a lawsuit. His brother and his brother’s wife were accused on charges of embezzlement, and Park stated that they laundered around ₩6.20 billion KRW (about $4.88 million USD) in appearance fees over ten years.
2. HA:TFELT
Soloist and former Wonder Girls member HA:TFELT, also known by her real name Park Yeeun, publicly revealed her fallout with her father during an appearance on Channel A’s Dr. Oh’s Golden Clinic. The singer shared that her father abused his position as a pastor and raised around ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $15.8 million USD) to invest in an entertainment business venture. But he was later sued by congregation members for embezzling those funds. The singer had confessed that despite being estranged from her father, his financial problems had affected her life deeply.
3. Han So Hee
When Han So Hee started climbing to stardom with The World Of The Married in 2020, a sudden blow to her career came from an online post claiming that her mother had deceived someone with their money.
The actress ended up having to apologize publicly for the issue. She revealed that her mother had not been significantly involved in her life since she was five, and she mostly grew up with her grandparents. Han So Hee stated that her mother had been borrowing money in her name for a long time, and even though she initially tried to pay it all back, the sum got out of control as her mother never stopped taking loans under her daughter’s name.
The actress’s agency mentioned in an official statement that Han So Hee’s mother has been borrowing money into a bank account under her daughter’s name, which was created when she was still a minor. The actress was eventually cleared of the accusations by the law, and people also realized that she had no part in these financial frauds.
4. Kang Min Kyung
In February 2023, reports came out stating that Davichi member Kang Min Kyung’s father and brother had been reported to the Busan Yeonje Police Station by a total of 19 investors. The claimants had put their money into the real estate development company run by the father-son duo. But the project had no proper development plans and has been halted for over six years. But the real estate company was contractually bound to pay their investors doubt their initial investment amount if the promised development was not completed within two years. However, neither the father nor the son delivered on that promise.
After the news broke, Kang Min Kyung faced a massive backlash from the public. Her agency, WAKEONE, put out a statement defending the singer. It mentioned that Kang has had to deal with difficult situations for her father’s financial problems before, and she even paid off his debts previously, showing consideration for the victims. But she has cut off all contact with him and has never been involved in his business.
5. Kim Hye Soo
In 2019, it was reported that Kim Hye Soo’s mother had borrowed ₩1.30 billion KRW (about $1.02 million USD) from acquaintances but never paid them back. The veteran actress later admitted to this and revealed her unfortunate estrangement from her mother.
She revealed that previously, she had to drain all her assets to repay her mother’s debut from around 2012. Since then, Kim has severed all ties with her.
6. Kim Wan Sun
Kim Wan Sun is a legendary pop artist in Korea. She is often referred to as the “Korean Madonna” for her extensive popularity and impact during the ’80s and ’90s.
Kim debuted in 1986 and still actively promotes today. Despite having such a successful career, the singer never received any of her earnings between 1986 and 1998, when her aunt Han Baek Hee was her manager. The singer herself revealed that since she debuted at a very young age, she was not financially well-educated and trusted her aunt with her money. She even spent years restricting her spending intensely at her aunt’s instructions.
Most of Kim Wan Sun’s earnings during that time were going to her aunt and her husband, who used it to settle their debts and even spent ₩1.40 billion KRW (about $1.10 million USD) to invest in their businesses. The betrayal left a very deep emotional wound on the singer, who, to this day, finds it hard to make peace with it.
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