Singer Park Sang-min has revealed that he suffered for four years due to an impersonator known as the 'fake Park Sang-min.'
On the 26th, a video titled "Hundreds of Billions in Debt Due to Betrayal... Took 10 Years to Repay" was uploaded to Kim Hyun-wook's channel 'Kim Hyun-wook's News, Let's Have a Drink.' In the video, Park confessed, "I endured the 'fake Park Sang-min' for four years... that person made tens of billions while the fine was only 7 million won."
In the video, Park Sang-min shared, "I was scammed by a close manager," and revealed, "The total amount, including what I repaid, was in the hundreds of billions." He continued, "People say not to worry about celebrities, but I thought I was going to die from the stress. I cried a lot," recalling the difficult times.
A particularly shocking incident for Park was the existence of the so-called 'fake Park Sang-min.' He recounted, "Seniors would call and ask why I didn't acknowledge them, even though I wasn't there," describing the absurd situation.
Park continued, "They hung my photo on the building's exterior and promoted 'Park Sang-min's special appearance.' At first, I felt good thinking, 'I have an imitation singer.' But they attended festivals and 60th birthday parties I never went to," he lamented.
He added, "Initially, the impersonator apologized, saying they did it to make a living, so I let it go. They promised to stop but continued even more," and "After enduring for four years, I finally turned to the law." However, the outcome was disappointing. Park said, "That person made tens of billions, but the fine was only 7 million won," and "During confrontations, they acted remorseful, but once inside, they were defiant. I wanted to destroy them through civil action, but I couldn't. It was too hard," he shared, evoking sympathy.
Financial difficulties compounded the situation. Park stated, "For three years after the pandemic, my income was zero. The hardest part was having to return money for canceled performances," and "If I hadn't been scammed, I would have owned several buildings," he expressed with regret. Despite this, he explained why he continued to donate. "When I earned money, I thought sharing was natural. It wasn't an easy choice, but I have no regrets," he added.
Reporter Na-yeon Cho, Ten Asia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr