Actor Lee Kye-in says he sold Yongsan apartment after a fraudulent marriage
In short
Actor Lee Kye-in said in a video posted on 21 October on the YouTube channel Grigura (그리구라) that he sold his Yongsan apartment in Seoul after learning his common-law wife had a partner who had lived with her for about ten years or more. He said the home felt repulsive after that, and that he is relieved he never registered the marriage but still feels resentment.
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Actor Lee Kye-in said he sold his apartment in Yongsan, Seoul, after what he described as a fraudulent marriage. He spoke in a video posted on 21 October on the YouTube channel Grigura (그리구라), titled 'Sell and it rises, move and it collapses? Lee Kye-in's real estate horror story'. Chosun Ilbo, Newsis and Hankook Ilbo reported on the video. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Asked why he sold, Lee said his past could not be left out of the answer. According to the reports, he said: 'After going through that, the home felt repulsive,' and that it seemed better to dispose of it quickly. He told host Kim Gu-ra that a marriage can fail but that being defrauded is different from failing. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The reports say Lee learned in 1992 that his common-law wife had a lover who had lived with her for a long period, and ended the relationship. Newsis and Chosun Ilbo give the period as more than ten years; Hankook Ilbo says ten years. Lee said he had not registered the marriage because he was busy, and Hankook Ilbo quotes him as saying his ex-wife also proposed doing it later. He called it a great relief that he had not registered, but said he still felt resentment. Asked about financial loss, he said the attempt had been stopped in advance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Kim Gu-ra said Lee was very pure and naive and that he had read about the marriage in a weekly magazine as a student, according to Hankook Ilbo. Newsis says Kim mentioned his own divorce to empathise, and that Lee drew a line between the two. Newsis also reports that Lee, asked whether he had turned it into a bitter smile, said he could not turn it into laughter. [ 2 , 3 ]
The outlets differ on what Lee did next. Chosun Ilbo says he went to the Gongjak Apartment in front of MBC in Yeouido, which he said was probably more expensive than the Yongsan one. Hankook Ilbo says he afterwards bought an apartment more expensive than the Yongsan one. Newsis says he moved to Yeouido. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Chosun Ilbo adds that Lee named the Sanho Apartment opposite the 63 Building in Yongsan as the first home he bought, at a little over 100 million won. He said he had money from his sister, and that Ko Du-shim lived in the same building. Hankook Ilbo adds that Lee remarried in 1997 to a wife ten years younger, divorced, and is now married to his current wife. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents give no basis for wider significance. Korean outlets reported it as a personal account by an actor of a past marriage and a property sale.
Key facts
- The video, titled 'Sell and it rises, move and it collapses? Lee Kye-in's real estate horror story', was posted on 21 October on the YouTube channel Grigura (그리구라). [ 1 , 3 ]
- Lee Kye-in said he sold the Seoul Yongsan apartment he had first bought after the experience of what he called a fraudulent marriage. [ 2 , 3 ]
- He said: 'After going through that, the home felt repulsive.' [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- In 1992 he learned that his common-law wife had a lover who had lived with her for ten years or more, and he ended the relationship, according to Newsis and Chosun Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee said he never registered the marriage because he was busy; he called that a great relief but said he still feels resentment. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Host Kim Gu-ra said he had also failed in his first marriage; Lee replied that a failed marriage and being defrauded are different things. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lee Kye-in appeared in a video on the YouTube channel Grigura posted on 21 October and spoke about selling his Yongsan apartment after what he called a fraudulent marriage. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee said the home felt repulsive after the experience and that he wanted to dispose of it quickly. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee said he learned in 1992 that his common-law wife had a lover who had lived with her for a decade or more, and he ended the relationship. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee said he had not registered the marriage, calling that a great relief while saying he still feels resentment. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee drew a distinction between a failed marriage and being defrauded. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How long the other man lived with Lee's partner. Newsis and Chosun Ilbo say more than ten years; Hankook Ilbo says ten years.
- Details of Lee's later marriages: remarriage in 1997 to a wife ten years younger, a divorce, and his current marriage. Only Hankook Ilbo reports this.
- Details of the Yongsan apartment: that it was the Sanho Apartment opposite the 63 Building, that it cost a little over 100 million won, and that Ko Du-shim lived in the same building. Only Chosun Ilbo reports these, as Lee's recollection in the video.
- Which apartment Lee moved to afterwards. Chosun Ilbo says Gongjak Apartment in front of MBC in Yeouido, which he said was probably more expensive than the Yongsan one; Newsis says he moved to Yeouido; Hankook Ilbo says he bought an apartment more expensive than the Yongsan one.