Kim Young Hee Responds To Accusations Of Fraud Against Her Mother

Comedienne and former Celeb Five member Kim Young Hee has responded to reports about accusations of fraud against her mother.

On December 15, a post appeared on an online community by “A” saying, “In 1996, my mother lent her hometown friend and comedienne Kim’s mom Kwon and her husband 66 million won (approximately $58,268). She received a promissory note, and it was notarized. But even after years of contacting her, we were unable to find her whereabouts.”

“A” continued, “After Kim became a celebrity, my younger sibling and I contacted her through SNS. But she said, ‘I’ll sue you for libel.’ Kim’s father filed for bankruptcy and the borrowed money became even more uncertain. Then one day, we heard that it was renewed and that we could receive a part of it.”

“A”  added, “About the money that was lent to her after trusting her as a hometown friend, she talked about it as if she had no interest in paying it back and avoided us for 20 something years. We even looked for a detective agency but couldn’t receive even a little of it.”

Kim Young Hee’s mother then gave an interview to online news outlet DongA. She acknowledged the truth about the debt and said she has been paying back the debt since October. She said they had already settled their conversation regarding the debt and that she is flustered by the reports.

The comedienne’s mother explained that after her husband went bankrupt, her and her children lived a difficult life while moving around. She also said she told her husband to pay the money back to her friend and had heard that he was paying it back every week. Since she didn’t hear about it afterwards, she assumed that there weren’t any problems.

After hearing that her friend was in difficulty, she called her on October 3 and asked how much of the money had been repaid by her husband. She then promised that she would pay small sums every month before she could arrange a lump sum.

However, after Kim Young Hee’s mother’s interview was published, “A” shared another post refuting some of her statements. “A” said, “I see that you gave an interview. The day that 100,000 won (approximately $88) was deposited [into my account] was December 3. It was not in October. The media outlet should also check with me.”

In an official statement, a source from Kim Young Hee’s agency A9 Entertainment said, “It is true there is debt from 1996. However, the debt does not belong to Kim Young Hee’s mother but her father .”

They continued, “It has been over 20 years since Kim Young Hee has seen her father’s face. Her parents separated since she was young, so Kim Young Hee didn’t know anything about the debt.”

They added, “However, Kim Young Hee’s mother is currently paying back the debt. The reason is because this was money Kim Young Hee’s mother borrowed from her friend when her mother and father were living together. As stated in the interview, she will continue to repay it.”

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