Celebrity Trainer Yang Chi-seung's New Chapter: From Gym Owner to Community Manager

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The transformed daily life of trainer and broadcaster Yang Chi-seung has been revealed.

On the October 19th episode of SBS's 'My Ugly Duckling,' Kim Jong-min and Heo Kyung-hwan visited Yang Chi-seung.

Yang, who previously ran a gym, shared that he is now managing an apartment community facility.

Yang Chi-seung stated, “After closing the gym, I am now in charge of the apartment community facilities, managing everything from breakfast services to the gym, golf course, and sky lounge.” He added, “I’ve gone from being a boss to an employee, so I keep smiling these days. I have to.”

The fitness space revealed on-site also caught attention. Yang, who participated in its design, showcased his 'tiger director' persona by guiding workouts, leaving Kim Jong-min and Heo Kyung-hwan in awe.

However, the journey to his current state was not smooth.

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Yang Chi-seung confessed, “My income is now a tenth of what it used to be,” highlighting the drastic change. He continued, “Initially, I thought I’d just take the hit and leave, but people started coming to the gym, and I realized it wasn’t just my problem.”

Reflecting on the past, he explained, “It was a building donated to the public, but no one informed the tenants, so everyone was evicted.” He added, “They didn’t return the deposit, claiming they had no money.”

The damage was more significant than expected. Yang revealed, “The show mentioned a total damage of 1.5 billion won, but it was actually more. I even took out a mortgage on my apartment, which I’m still paying off.”

He also shared, “I sold my car to refund gym members.”

His family also experienced the changes. Yang confessed, “I didn’t tell my family at first, but they found out through the broadcast.” He added, “My kids stopped taking private lessons, and we took away the air conditioner remote in the summer. It broke my heart.”

Despite the hardships, there was a reason he could endure.

Yang shared, “Actress Park Ha-na called on the day of the gym closure while I was sorting things out. She asked for my account number, and after 30 minutes of back-and-forth, I reluctantly gave it to her. It was a big help as I was short on money to refund members.”

After the gym closure, Yang started a new job. He said, “A service company contacted me about managing apartment communities and buildings, asking if I’d like to join them.”

Having lived as a gym owner for 25 years, he is now embracing a new life as an employee.

Yang Chi-seung commented, “It’s frustrating to stay at the office until quitting time, but the stress of managing employee salaries and sales has decreased, so I feel more at ease.”

Yang, known as a star trainer for celebrities like Kim Woo-bin, recently revealed he suffered a loss of 1.5 billion won due to a rental scam. This led to the closure of his gym, and he has since gained attention by announcing on his YouTube channel that he is working as a managing director for a 10 billion won apartment community in Gangnam, Seoul.

Reporter Na-yeon Cho, Ten Asia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr