[Sportschosun reporter Jeong An-ji] Actor Park Joon-gyu revealed that he once took on a debt of approximately 1.2 billion won after attempting to produce a musical, forcing him to sell his home and car. He also disclosed that he suffered an additional loss of approximately 200 million won after a manager he trusted gambled with his money, evoking sympathy.
The December 27 episode of Maeil Broadcasting Network (MBN)'s "While You Were Sick" featured Park Joon-gyu recounting how he suffered major losses after attempting to produce a musical.
Park Joon-gyu said, "I produced a musical even though people told me not to. As a result, I lost around 1.2 billion to 1.3 billion won," adding, "I was taken advantage of by the person who co-produced it with me."
Park Joon-gyu's wife provided a more detailed account of what happened at the time. She said, "The business partner did not bring a single penny, but we did not know that either. We drew up investment contracts under the company's name with investors who were acquaintances of Park Joon-gyu. But after signing the contracts, the business partner went back to the investors and changed the name on the contracts to that of his wife instead of the company." Because of the undisclosed side agreement, the couple became responsible for all the debt. Park Joon-gyu was left with approximately 1.2 billion won in debt and had no choice but to sell his home and car. Even after selling everything, he still had debt remaining.
To make matters worse, a financial problem involving a manager he trusted also emerged. Park Joon-gyu recalled, "My manager of 20 years had to quit because he became ill. I began working with the former manager's friend, and we worked together for nearly 10 years. We got along like family. He worked hard."
Because he trusted the manager so much, Park Joon-gyu even entrusted him with his bank account and password. His wife explained, "I trusted him so much that I gave the manager the bankbook and told him the password. I asked him to withdraw some money and bring it when I went to film the next day."
But one day, the manager suddenly stopped responding, and suspicious circumstances came to light. Park Joon-gyu said, "He suddenly went off the radar. I thought it was strange when I could not reach him until morning. When I checked, I found that 1 million won had been withdrawn repeatedly at five-, 10-, and 15-minute intervals. It turned out my friend had been gambling."
That was not the end of the problem. His wife revealed, "It turned out that he had also used my name with our acquaintances," adding, "He borrowed money from various people by telling Park Joon-gyu's acquaintances, 'My sister-in-law has money to spend without my brother knowing.'"
Park Joon-gyu said, "The money he obtained by using my name and my wife's name was about 2 million or 3 million won at a time. So there were many cases in which my acquaintances gave him money without even asking me," adding, "If it had been around 20 million or 30 million won, they would have asked, 'Why do you need that money? Your manager came and told us about it.' But in many cases, they simply gave him the money."
The total amount the manager borrowed reached approximately 200 million won. Park Joon-gyu said he is still working hard to repay the debt.
Park Joon-gyu said he forgave the manager because of their long-standing bond, explaining, "Because of our relationship, he said, 'I will never do it again. I committed an unforgivable sin,' so I let him off once."
The couple also confessed that they suffered hair loss because of the extreme stress they endured during this process. Park Joon-gyu said, "They say that kind of stress is the worst illness. When you are under extreme stress, your hair starts falling out first," evoking sympathy.
anjee85@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
