Lee Young-sook, Known for Many Kimjang Recipes, Briefly Addresses 100 Million Debt Controversy: "I Will Resolve It Well"

"Doing Late Kimjang... Sorry for the Disturbance"
"Borrowed 100 Million Won, Then Didn't Repay" Debt Controversy
"No Voluntary Repayment Even 1 Won"

Lee Young-sook, CEO of Na-gyeong Mushroom Farm, broke her silence on the debt controversy and posted a message. Lee Young-sook Instagram

Lee Young-sook, CEO of Na-gyeong Mushroom Farm, who was embroiled in a 'debt controversy' for borrowing 100 million won from an acquaintance and not repaying it for a long time, has broken her silence.

On the morning of the 20th, Lee posted on her social media (SNS), saying, "I am leaving a post because I have received many inquiries about kimchi-making." She stated, "We make kimchi late," adding, "We plan to decide after checking the condition of the napa cabbage in the first or second week of December. If late kimchi-making is acceptable, please wait a little longer." She continued, "I caused a disturbance due to personal matters," and said, "I will work with my lawyer to resolve the matter well going forward. I apologize." Finally, she added, "The temperature difference is large these days. I hope you have a healthy day."

Earlier, Lee was suspected of borrowing 100 million won from an acquaintance, Mr. A, in April 2010 and not repaying it for 14 years. She had written an IOU with a maturity date of April 2011, but despite the repayment date arriving, she did not repay the debt. Mr. A passed away in July 2011, three months after the maturity date, and his family discovered the IOU late while sorting his belongings and filed a civil lawsuit. 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 thereafter, but she did not comply. Eventually, Mr. A’s family filed a total of 17 lawsuits, including a loan repayment claim against Lee.

In an interview with the media, they explained, "Despite winning the trial, Lee and her daughter did not fulfill the court-ordered 'defendant bears litigation costs' and 'ownership cancellation,' making even the auction difficult." They added, "Additionally, they demanded distribution from an auction conducted by a credit union and received 283,981 won. The total amount received from three auctions as distribution was 42,332,390 won." However, they lamented, "There was not a single voluntary repayment, and the money we barely recovered through lawsuits was used again to repay Lee’s debt." They also revealed, "She did not fulfill another debt for which her father was a joint guarantor. Rather, about 48 million won, which included 42 million won previously received plus an additional 6 million won, was used again to repay Lee’s debt."

Earlier, on the 1st, the Nonsan branch of the Daejeon District Court accepted a seizure and collection order application for Lee’s appearance fees filed by Mr. A’s family against the production company of the Netflix show Black and White Chef. Shortly after the controversy, Lee’s side stated, "We were not properly aware of the situation due to poor communication with the creditor," and "We are currently confirming the matter through a lawyer. If there is remaining debt, we will fulfill the repayment responsibility."

Meanwhile, Lee won 100 million won in prize money by winning Korean Food Battle 2 in 2014. Recently, she appeared as part of the White Spoon team on the Netflix variety show Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War.