Singer-songwriter and TV personality Lee Sang-min’s financial history has been in the spotlight for years in South Korea.
The artiste had accumulated approximately 6.9 billion won in debt in 2005 after a series of failed business ventures. It took him 17 years to clear it all and in 2024, he finally became debt-free. But recently, his new financial state came to light on a game show, leaving everyone surprised.
In the latest episode of the Wavve survival reality show Blood Game X, which released on Friday, Sang-min revealed that he earned 1.5 billion won (approx ₹9.33 crore) last year.
The cast members on the show were asked to reveal their previous year’s income as part of a challenge which would determine their team’s starting funds.
Lee was leading team P1, which saw his fellow contestants reveal their earnings to be 50 million won (approx ₹31 lakh), 80 million won (approx ₹50 lakh) and 200 million won (approx ₹1.24 crore), respectively. Then, Lee shared his figure of “1.5 billion won”, which left the studio fall silent in surprise.
After hearing the numbers, his team decided against taking a financial gamble and chose its guaranteed team funds. On the decision, Lee said, “There was no reason to gamble. Since my income was the largest, I suggested we stick with what we had.”
{{/usCountry}}After hearing the numbers, his team decided against taking a financial gamble and chose its guaranteed team funds. On the decision, Lee said, “There was no reason to gamble. Since my income was the largest, I suggested we stick with what we had.”
{{/usCountry}}The revelation quickly drew attention as Lee’s financial history has been one of Korea’s most widely publicized celebrity debt stories.