Han So-hee and Kang Min-kyung are stars held back by their parents.

The 'debttoo' (#debttoo) controversy that shook the entertainment industry, sparked by rapper Microdot's parents, still persists even after five years. Beyond Kim Hye-soo and Han So-hee, singer Kang Min-kyung is now embroiled in controversy.

On the 6th, it was claimed that duo 'Davichi' member Kang Min-kyung's father, Mr. A, and her older brother, Mr. B, were accused of real estate fraud. SBS Entertainment News reported that 19 people, including investor Park, filed a complaint with the Busan Yeonje Police Station, saying that they promised to return the money if the price of the land developed by A and B did not rise, but they have not kept their promise for several years.

According to this media, the plaintiffs said, "A and B, while running a real estate development company together, signed a real estate development contract worth a total of 1.2 billion won in September 2017 by deceiving them by saying that they would develop forest land in Munjiri, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, within two years, which had no clear development plan. It was reported that the complaint stated that "it was concluded but not kept."

Currently, Kang Min-kyung's father is filing a counter-suit against the five accusers on charges of defamation.

Kang Min-kyung's agency, Wake One, said, "Kang Min-kyung has experienced her father's unpleasant financial problems several times since her debut at the age of 18. Kang Min-kyung, who has suffered greatly, has cut off contact with her father and has never once talked about her father's business." “I was never involved,” he said on the 6th.

At the same time, he made it clear, “Kang Min-kyung is not involved in any business, including investment and development, other than her activities as an entertainer and Abiemua Co., Ltd., which she is currently registered as the representative of.”

Regarding this, the agency emphasized, “We will respond resolutely to any problems arising from the theft or use of Kang Min-kyung’s name.”

Actors Kim Hye-soo and Han So-hee also experienced similar controversies. In 2019, Kim Hye-soo's mother borrowed about 1.3 billion won from her acquaintances and did not repay it. Kim Hye-soo said through her legal representative, "My mother has been causing many financial problems for over a dozen years. Although she did not know the details, was never involved, and did not receive any benefit, she took on the responsibility for repayment."

Han So-hee's mother also incurred a large amount of debt by selling her daughter's name. It was revealed that Han So-hee's mother arbitrarily opened a bank account when Han So-hee was a minor and used the account to borrow money without Han So-hee's knowledge. In addition to borrowing money from her daughter's bank account, Han So-hee's mother was also caught up in a private document forgery case. A civil trial was held over a series of incidents, and the court ruled that it had nothing to do with Han So-hee.

Han So-hee apologized, saying, "I am sorry for causing concern due to my personal life. It is true that the natural bond between mother and daughter cannot be broken. I am sorry to those who were unintentionally harmed." He emphasized, "We have absolutely no plans to take responsibility for related debts. This is to block at the source a series of actions that involve using my daughter's name to borrow money and exploiting her status as a famous celebrity to receive money."

In addition to the stars mentioned, Jang Yoon-jung, Park Bo-gum, Cha Ye-ryun, Han Go-eun, and Jo Yeo-jeong have also been under suspicion of debt because they are famous celebrities even though they have cut off contact with their parents. At the same time, family matters that were unwanted were also brought up.

Those who have been scammed and celebrities whose parents are scammers are all victims. These people took on their parents' debt and even had their faces tarnished just because they were celebrities. I just hope that no one becomes a victim of another 'debt investment' situation.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr