Comedian Kwak Beom [Newsis]
Comedian Kwak Beom [Newsis]

Comedian Kwak Beom, 39, who rose to popularity with his comedic impressions of singer Lim Chang-jung and actor Jung Woo-sung, has opened up about the financial hardship he endured during his years in obscurity.

Kwak spoke about his long stretch as an unknown entertainer on the KBS2 variety program "The Boss Has Donkey Ears," which aired Sunday.

Kwak made his debut in 2012 as a KBS open-recruitment comedian and performed on the network's "Gag Concert" for about eight years through 2020, but said it took a long time to build any real public recognition.

He said his appearance fee as a rookie was around 400,000 won ($266) per episode. When segments were edited out, his monthly income could drop to around 1 million won ($665).

In 2013, the year after his debut, Kwak's then-girlfriend became unexpectedly pregnant, and the couple married before he was financially ready. He said they prepared the wedding without outside help and began their married life renting a home under the "wolse" monthly-rent system.

His wife, a nurse, balanced work and childcare, but the financial strain continued for some time.

Appearing on a YouTube channel last month, Kwak said his bank balance had come close to zero at times. "At our hardest point, I sold the handbags my wife had bought with her own earnings to cover our living expenses," he said. He added that he felt sorry toward his children as well, saying he had even sold his daughters' first-birthday gold rings to make ends meet.

Kwak said he can brush off most comments, but that remarks assuming he must have made a lot of money still sting. "There was a time that was genuinely very hard," he said, "so those words hurt."


paq@heraldcorp.com