Comedian Im Woo-il. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]
Comedian Im Woo-il. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]

Comedian Im Woo-il, known for his frugal lifestyle and "cheapskate" image, has revealed that he once lent fellow comedian Park Young-jin 100 million won ($73,600).

Im appeared as a guest on KBS2's "Maljasho" on Monday, sharing stories about his relationship with money.

On the show, Im said he makes a point of attending most celebratory and condolence events. "The biggest amount I've given recently was at Kim Ki-ri's wedding," he said. "He called me that night and said, 'Hyung, thank you. Because of you, I could hold my head high in front of my wife. He said you gave the most.'"

When fellow comedian Jeong Beom-gyun asked how much it was, Kim Young-hee chimed in, saying she was curious why the gift was large enough to warrant a late-night call. Audience members guessed 10 million won. Im seemed flustered and shot back, "Does everyone here today come from money?" before confessing he had given 3 million won ($2,210).

Im then revealed that his sunbae Park Young-jin had recently run into financial trouble while moving and urgently needed cash. "He reached out to me too, so I lent him the money — 100 million won," Im said. "The good news is that he paid it back."

Im explained why he agreed to lend such a large sum. "The reason I lent it is that Park Young-jin has lived well — as a person," he said. "He has been good to his juniors and his seniors alike. I wanted him to feel that his way of living had been recognized."


choigo@heraldcorp.com