Actor Kim Bu-sun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]
Actor Kim Bu-sun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]

"Repay the 200 million won ($147,000) you borrowed." Against that: "I only borrowed 70 million won — the rest was given to me freely."

A Seoul court has sided largely with actor Kim Bu-sun in a lawsuit brought by the family of a deceased acquaintance, accepting Kim's argument that most of the money received was an unconditional gift.

The 11th Civil Division of Seoul Eastern District Court ruled Oct. 30 in partial favor of the plaintiffs in the case, in which the family sued Kim demanding repayment of roughly 200 million won they said had been lent.

The court accepted only part of the family's claim, ordering Kim to pay the 70 million won ($51,600) in principal Kim had acknowledged as a debt, plus 1.37 million won in delayed damages.

The family filed the lawsuit in February, arguing that the deceased had sent Kim approximately 200 million won on multiple occasions between 2013 and 2025. In April, they escalated the pressure by placing a provisional seizure of roughly 200 million won on Kim's apartment in Oksu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

Kim acknowledged receiving regular monthly payments of 3 million won from the deceased, as well as money on holidays and birthdays, but rebuffed the family's claim, arguing the payments were unconditional support and did not need to be repaid. Kim maintained that only 70 million won of the 200 million won claimed by the family constituted a loan, and said Kim had proactively disclosed that debt to the family and expressed willingness to repay it.

In response, the family rebuffed that argument, saying it was hard to accept that money would be handed over without any repayment agreement given that the two were merely acquaintances, not romantic partners.

The ruling is seen as a vindication of Kim's position, though the family has since filed an appeal.

Kim announced the outcome on Facebook, saying the principal and delayed damages had been paid in full following the ruling and that the provisional seizure on the apartment had been lifted.

"I take this as an effective victory in which my position was upheld," Kim said. "All the additional amounts the plaintiffs claimed beyond the debt I acknowledged from the outset were dismissed — making this a precious result that amounts to a complete win."

Kim emphasized having proactively informed the family of the 70 million won debt after learning of the acquaintance's death, saying it was "to keep my promise to the deceased and fulfill my responsibility."

"I reached out to the deceased's parents, who are the heirs, to discuss repayment and requested their contact information and a meeting, but it never came together," Kim said. "A civil lawsuit, a provisional seizure and media coverage followed, and I had to endure a situation where I was made to look like someone who had borrowed money and was trying to avoid paying it back."


paq@heraldcorp.com