![Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Rula. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/06/news-p.v1.20260727.06f9bcfdb4ce40d5915c86b23613497c_P1.png)
Ko Young-wook, a former member of the K-pop group Rula, has claimed that his ex-bandmate Lee Sang-min was actually born in 1974.
On Wednesday, Ko posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, alleging that Lee's birth year had been incorrectly registered. "Lee Sang-min was originally born in 1974, the Year of the Tiger," Ko said, adding that Lee's family had tried to register him as a 1973 birth to enroll him in school early, but the record was mistakenly filed as 1975.
Ko said he had grounds for the claim, noting that Lee had classmates from Yeongdeungpo Technical High School who were also born in 1974 and that other former schoolmates could corroborate the story.
Ko added that Lee, who had been the group's leader even before Rula's debut, likely began misrepresenting his age so that Shin Jung-hwan — born in 1974 — would address him as "hyung," an honorific for an older male, and that the deception had continued ever since.
Ko also claimed that Shin had once learned the truth and called Ko in a rage, demanding Lee's phone number before immediately calling Lee and unleashing a stream of insults — an incident Ko said stemmed directly from the age revelation.
Ko has recently been naming various celebrities on X, including Bibi, Lee Chan-won, Lee Ji-hye, Gong Hyo-jin, Yoo Jae-suk and Shin Dong-yup.
As he has continued to name entertainers with whom he had no apparent prior connection, some observers have suggested Ko is making provocative disclosures to attract attention.
Ko was indicted in 2013 after committing sex crimes against three minors between 2010 and 2012. He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, served his full term and was released in 2015, and has not returned to broadcasting since.
dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com
