Kang Ye-won Struggles with Late Father's 1.1 Billion Won Debt and Unpaid Employee Wages on 'My Little Old Boy'

Kang Ye-won opened up about the emotional and financial burden caused by her father's debts.

On the episode of SBS's "My Little Old Boy" that aired on June 14, Kang Ye-won made her first appearance as a new cast member.

During the broadcast, Kang drew attention by revealing that she has been cutting back on expenses. After reducing her monthly living costs to 2 million won, she stated her plan to further decrease her spending to 1 million won next month.

Kang explained, "I felt I had to block all expenditures because of my father's medical bills. Intensive care unit costs are not covered by insurance, which resulted in tens of millions of won in medical expenses per month."

It was revealed that her father recently passed away after a long battle with illness, drawing sympathy. Kang shared what shifted her mindset, saying, "At first, I just cried, but I realized I couldn't keep doing that. I am the eldest daughter, so I have to do something."

Later, Kang visited a law firm and handed over documents to her lawyer. The lawyer asked, "Your father had significant debts while running his business. Looking at the documents you brought, the debt is around 1 billion to 1.1 billion won. Are you aware of this?"

Kang only learned about her father's debts after his passing. The lawyer added, "About 300 million won needs to be paid by May. I am worried that the debt might increase further. There could be more; there might be additional personal debts, and we don't know when other creditors might appear," leaving her in shock.

Overcome with emotion, Kang burst into tears. She expressed her distress, saying, "I didn't know it was this bad while my father was alive," struggling with the weight of her father's death compounded by the burden of repaying his debts.

Kang continued, "Even so, my father raised me well, so it is right for me to take responsibility, but it is so difficult and I don't know what to do," revealing her honest feelings about the debt repayment.

The lawyer advised, "There is a legal system for cases where debts exceed inherited assets, called 'limited approval.' You only need to repay debts within the limit of the inherited assets. Your mother can proceed with limited approval and repay the debts after selling the inherited apartment. It would be better for you and your younger sibling to renounce the inheritance."

Upon hearing this, Kang could not hide her heartbreak, saying, "But that is a house where our family of four has lived for 30 years. It is devastating to have to sell it."

The lawyer also explained that Kang does not have to repay debts incurred by her father while operating his business, stating, "Debts incurred under the corporate name are not related to inheritance."

However, Kang mentioned the employees who had worked by her father's side for nearly 20 years, honestly expressing her desire to do as much as she could for them.

Afterward, Kang visited her father's company to clear out his belongings. She shed tears while looking at a family photo left on his desk.

On that day, Kang met with her father's employees. She expressed her sincere gratitude and delivered a portion of their unpaid wages.

"I felt pathetic for never having taken responsibility for anything until I learned of these debts," Kang said, expressing her gratitude to those who stayed by her father's side until the end and understood her situation. "I am so sorry and grateful. I will live my life repaying you with things much greater than money. Thank you so much."

(SBS Entertainment News, Editor Kim Hyo-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.