Trot singer Sukhaeng. [Newsis]
Trot singer Sukhaeng. [Newsis]

A court ruling ordering trot singer Sukhaeng (47, real name Han Sukhaeng) to pay 30 million won ($22,100) in damages to the wife of a married man she had an affair with has been finalized.

According to legal sources, neither Sukhaeng nor the wife, identified only as A, filed an appeal against the first-instance ruling in the lawsuit A brought against Sukhaeng seeking compensation for the affair, allowing the verdict to stand.

The civil seventh single-judge division of the Seongnam branch of Suwon District Court ruled last month that Sukhaeng must pay A 30 million won in consolation damages, in a partial victory for the plaintiff.

The case came to light in December last year when A claimed on a broadcast that her husband had left home to live with Sukhaeng after having an affair with her. Sukhaeng maintained that she had been deceived, saying she believed the couple's marriage had already broken down and that they had effectively agreed to divorce, with only the paperwork remaining.

The court, however, found that Sukhaeng had engaged in an affair with the husband beginning in January 2025, including living together with him.

The court also rejected Sukhaeng's argument, finding no evidence that A's marriage had already collapsed at the time of the affair or that the husband had misled Sukhaeng into believing so.

Sukhaeng sought to call the husband as a witness during the trial to demonstrate the circumstances that she said left her no choice but to be deceived, but he reportedly refused to appear, citing a desire not to hurt his children.

According to the YouTube channel "Respect Lee Jin-ho," run by former journalist-turned-YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, A called Sukhaeng directly in March last year to ask her to stop seeing her husband.

When the relationship continued, A contacted Sukhaeng again by text, demanding she return her husband. Sukhaeng reportedly replied, "Why do you keep doing this? Why would I return someone I never had?" and added, "Please sort out your marital problems between the two of you. I ask you respectfully."

A said the relationship between Sukhaeng and her husband continued after that. She claimed her husband told her on her birthday, July 25 last year, that he had to accompany Sukhaeng to a performance that day and would also be unable to join the family for their child's birthday the following day.

A phone call in which Sukhaeng appeared to seek A's forgiveness was also made public.

On Oct. 19 last year, Sukhaeng called A directly and pleaded with her, saying, "Didn't you forgive even a high-end hostess girl? Please give me a chance," "We're the same age — think of it as saving a friend," "I'm really wronged. I'm a victim too, as a fellow woman," "Please look at me with the heart of Buddha just once," and "I don't want to be cursed out by anyone like this."

During that call, Sukhaeng reportedly insisted she had not properly known the man was married and had no intention of harming his family. She also said, "I broke up with him as soon as I found out everything," reiterating her position that she too had been deceived.

Sukhaeng is reported to have fallen into financial hardship after the affair controversy erupted.


paq@heraldcorp.com