'Hansik Daega' Lee Youngsook Debt Controversy
Borrowed 100 Million Won with IOU
"Also Repaid Money Through Joint Guarantee"
Lee Young-sook, the representative of Nakyeong Mushroom Farm who appeared as part of the White Spoon team on the Netflix variety show "Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War" (hereinafter "Black and White Chef"), has been accused of borrowing 100 million won from an acquaintance and not repaying it for 14 years.
According to Maeil Shinmun on the 28th, Lee signed an IOU in April 2010 after borrowing 100 million won from a Mr. Jo. At the time, Lee, who had won the Presidential Award for shiitake mushroom dishes, was preparing to open a local restaurant with Mr. Jo, who was the head of a shiitake mushroom cooperative. Lee issued an IOU to Mr. Jo with a maturity date of April 2011, which stated that "this money will be used to purchase factory land for a government-supported project." However, despite the repayment date arriving, Lee did not repay the money, and Mr. Jo passed away in July 2011, three months after the maturity date.
Mr. Jo's family discovered the IOU late while sorting through his belongings and filed a civil lawsuit against Lee. In 2012, the court ruled that "Lee must pay the amount calculated at an annual interest rate of 8.45% from May 1, 2011, to May 24, 2012, and 20% annually from the following day." However, Lee refused to repay, claiming "I have no money." Consequently, Mr. Jo's family placed a provisional seizure on land owned by Lee and recovered about 19 million won through auction. They demanded repayment of the remaining amount, but Lee did not comply. Later, in 2014, Lee appeared on the cooking competition show "Hansik Daecheop 2" and won a prize of 100 million won. Still unpaid, Mr. Jo's family applied for a creditor's seizure and collection order at the court in 2018. Although the court accepted the request, they have yet to receive the remaining money.
Mr. Jo's side stated, "Apart from the 100 million won IOU, my father paid about 50 million won on Lee's behalf through joint suretyship. Since she did not even pay the 100 million won, we did not file a claim for reimbursement. The statute of limitations for the reimbursement claim (10 years) expired in October last year." They added, "The amount Lee owes our family, including interest, now exceeds 300 million won, and now she appears on 'Black and White Chef' again, causing turmoil."
Lee's legal representative said, "There is a difference in positions. It is true that Lee Young-sook borrowed money, but some of it has been repaid. We plan to review this matter with the lawyer this week."
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