[Sportschosun Lee Ji-hyun] Actress Sunwoo Yong-yeo has revealed the shocking scam that left her stripped of all her family jewelry after being deceived by a fake monk during her newlywed years. She also shared the most hurtful thing her husband said at the time, recalling the bittersweet memory with a laugh.
On the 25th, a video titled "An 82-year-old Sunwoo Yong-yeo had jewelry worth the price of a house stolen by a monk" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Soonpoong Sunwoo Yongyeo."
In the video, Sunwoo Yong-yeo recalled that after their marriage, her husband generously gave her all kinds of jewelry, including diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. She said, "My husband gave me jewelry worth about the price of a house. He bought me everything from diamonds to rubies."
But all of that jewelry ended up in the hands of a fake monk. Sunwoo Yong-yeo said, "The fake monk came to our house and said that to remove my husband's bad luck, we had to place the jewelry on rice and pray." She added, "In the end, I put all the jewelry into an envelope and handed it over."
At first, she felt suspicious and did not let him into the house. But after several visits, he built up trust, and on the third visit, she even let him into the bedroom and asked him to carry out the prayer there. After finishing, the monk handed back the envelope and said, "Sprinkle salt after I leave," before walking out.
Two hours later, Sunwoo Yong-yeo opened the envelope to take out her wedding ring and was stunned. She said, "I clearly saw with my own eyes that the jewelry was put in there, but when I opened the envelope, only rice poured out." She added, "All the jewelry had disappeared."
"Losing the jewelry was upsetting, but what made me even angrier was that my husband looked at me and called me a 'crazy b----' in one breath," she said. "That hurt even more, so I cried my eyes out."
Her husband reportedly gave up, saying the culprit had probably already fled on the Honam Line, but he mobilized his connections and asked the police to investigate. Sunwoo Yong-yeo recalled, "Much later, I happened to spot the culprit, caught him, and even brought him to our house."
However, when they went to the suspect's home, they found that he was living in extremely poor conditions. She said, "He was living in such miserable circumstances. In the end, my husband just came back."
Meanwhile, Sunwoo Yong-yeo also spoke about the accessories she wears now. She said they were items she bought herself while often playing the role of a lady of the house. "Confidence matters more than expensive jewelry," she said. "Whatever you wear, if you carry yourself with confidence, even fake things can look real. I hope people make themselves into luxury, rather than chasing money."
Sunwoo Yong-yeo married in 1969 and has one son and one daughter. Her daughter, Choi Yeon-jae, who once worked as a singer, is now practicing Korean medicine in the United States.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
