[Sportschosun reporter Baek Ji-eun] Couple Lee A-young and Shim Gyu-deok have spoken out over the controversy surrounding their sincerity.
On the 23rd, Lee A-young wrote on her account, "I was never unemployed. We were given a mission to get everything done within five months of preparing for marriage, and at the time I was handling housework, group-buying sales, and work at a home shopping company all at once, which was physically overwhelming, so I only quit my dermatology clinic job. After the wedding, I want to go back to work, but Gyu-deok is against it, so we are still working that out."
She added, "We had talked for a long time about starting a YouTube channel when our schedules matched, as a way to make memories, and we launched it this time. But after watching the VCR on the studio shoot day, we were so shocked that we explained our relationship. It is true that 'My Sibling's Romance' is an unscripted show, and it is also true that we each had our own concerns ahead of marriage. If this made us seem insincere, we are sorry."
She also said, "Gyu-deok joking around too strongly because he felt comfortable and showing me a lack of respect, and me lacking a sense of financial responsibility, are both things we are reflecting on deeply."
Lee A-young and Shim Gyu-deok, who appeared on MBN's 'Love After Divorce,' are preparing to remarry. The two appeared on the episode of 'My Sibling's Romance' that aired on the 21st, where they said they were considering marriage because of differences in their views on money and verbal abuse.
Lee A-young said she would focus on wedding preparations and even quit her job to live as a full-time homemaker. However, she drew criticism for poor financial judgment, including buying a luxury headband worth 400,000 won and spending several million won on body-shaping treatments, while also acting overly dependent on Shim Gyu-deok and behaving childishly.
Shim Gyu-deok said Lee A-young was overspending, but he himself reportedly spent about 5 million won a month on exercise. He also kept using a bed he had shared with his ex-wife and did not hesitate to make harsh remarks, saying things like, "If I gave you money, you should just say 'thank you' and use it," and "Since I am the one with the higher hourly value, you should think that I ultimately need to earn a lot of money for this to work out." Even MC Seo Jang-hoon was furious, saying, "You throw out the worst lines as if it's nothing. I ask half-jokingly, half-seriously, how much do you make a month? How much money do you even have to act like that?"
However, even before the main broadcast began, on the 20th, Lee A-young and Shim Gyu-deok launched a couple YouTube channel and denied everything shown on 'My Sibling's Romance,' saying, "In reality, we get along well. We are getting married because we get along well."
Then, on the 22nd, after the broadcast, Lee A-young also expressed affection, saying, "My husband is not good at expressing himself and is a little lacking in social skills, but he is a kind and wonderful person. I had been afraid of married life because of all the criticism I received, but Shim Gyu-deok even gave me this book."
This sparked controversy over their sincerity. Critics said they may have appeared on the show with a remarriage-conflict concept simply to raise the profile of Lee A-young, who works as an influencer.
Moreover, at the production presentation for 'My Sibling's Romance,' Lee Hyori had confidently said, "Honestly, I had my doubts. I wondered why ordinary people would want to appear on TV. I had a prejudice that they were coming because they wanted to become famous, or because they really had relationship concerns. But after actually seeing them, I realized they came with genuine worries. They want solutions and want to look at themselves objectively. Some couples even broke up on site. So I thought, this is real. I tend to dislike fake things, so I am enjoying it vicariously."
The actions of Lee A-young and Shim Gyu-deok made Lee Hyori's bold claims ring hollow.
Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
