Actor Kim Bu-sun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Actor Kim Bu-sun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Actor Kim Bu-sun has pushed back against a loan repayment lawsuit seeking around 200 million won ($142,000), saying the claimed amount has not been established as a confirmed debt and that the 70 million won she acknowledges owing has already been deposited with the court.

On Tuesday, Kim wrote on her Facebook that "the approximately 200 million won is simply the amount the plaintiff is claiming — it has not been recognized by a court as a loan or confirmed as a debt."

Kim said the central issue in the trial is "whether each sum the deceased sent constitutes a loan to be repaid or support money with no obligation of repayment."

Kim's side acknowledges borrowing only 80 million won from the deceased, identified as person A. Of that amount, 10 million won has already been repaid, and the remaining 70 million won was deposited in full with the court after A's death, she said. The rest — monthly transfers of 3 million won as well as amounts given on holidays and birthdays — carried no repayment obligation, she argued.

Kim said that while A was still alive, she disclosed the borrowed amount and her repayment plan during a YouTube live broadcast on Oct. 18, 2025, referring to A only as an "acquaintance" without revealing the person's name or identity.

"The deceased passed away on Dec. 6, 2025, and I only learned of the death on Jan. 12, 2026," Kim said.

She said she reached out first after seeing the family announce that anyone wishing to attend the 49th-day memorial rite should contact them, and informed them that 70 million won remained to be repaid. She added that she conveyed the same information when she met A's two younger sisters at her home on Jan. 15, 2026.

"I have never hidden a debt or refused repayment," Kim said, calling on media to report "accurate and balanced facts."

According to Sports Kyunghyang, the bereaved family claims that the total principal A transferred to Kim between 2013 and 2025 amounted to 199.75 million won, and that all or a substantial portion should be returned.

The Seoul Eastern District Court accepted the family's application on April 1 and ordered a provisional seizure of approximately 200 million won on Kim's apartment in Oksu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, with an exclusive use area of 114.78 square meters.

The first hearing was held on Friday, and the next is scheduled for Oct. 2.


dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com