Sports, TV and movie stars are the envy of many, and that has if anything increased with the revelations of their vast real estate holdings. Although such cases are limited to only the highest-paid stars, many stars show a keen interest in investing in real estate due to their lack of job security.
But industry experts say in case of athletes whose careers span no more than 15 years at most, the sums are not excessive. And celebrities' careers ebb and crest with their popularity, giving them little choice but to set aside investments whose returns they can live off for the rest of their lives.
Most of them own commercial real estate worth millions of dollars in the affluent Gangnam district of southern Seoul. What follows is a round-up of the real estate owned by celebrities.
Pop star Seo Tai-ji, who bought a building in Nonhyeon-dong in 2002, already made millions of dollars in profit. One estate agent said the building is presently valued at close to W20 billion (US$1=W1,134). Its value recently got a boost because a subway station on Line 9 was open...
MoreBy Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The Winter Olympic Games are over, but that doesn't mean the excitement of television is over as well. MBC and KBS are preparing big budget dramas featuring heroes for this weekend, ushering viewers to another competitive race between top stars and strong scripts.
Hero 1: Tough and God-Like
MBC is airing "
A Man Called God" (working title), starring
Song Il-gook as fearless spy Choi Kang-ta who seeks revenge on his parents' killers.
Based on the popular namesake comic by the late cartoonist Park Bong-seong, "
A Man Called God" aims to bring some real action to the small screen, with a budget of 10 billion won. Local viewers have seen a lot of cartoon-remakes, but none match this one, both in scale and expectations.
Because the original comic book was for readers aged 18 and over, the director
Lee Hyeong-seon had to turn the content down a notch to widen the potential pool of audience.
"I couldn't make a television drama with the original storyline, so we turned toward fantasy. We worked on making a cool and fresh drama for people who are in need of a hero", Lee said during a press conference last month at a hotel in northern Seoul.
Song, who made headlines when photos of him showing off his chiseled body were released, prepared for a year to transform into the muscular and charismatic Choi.
"I have been a vegetarian for 15 years, but I had to eat chicken breast and eggs to build...
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Korean celebrities
Cha In-pyo and
Sin Ae-ra made a donation of 100 million won to victims of the Haiti earthquake via Compassion Korea, the International Child Care Organization,
The couple said, "It's a tragedy that many people died and were injured due to the H...
MoreKorean celebrities are rolling up their sleeves to help the victims of earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Cha In-pyo, 43, and
Sin Ae-ra, 41, made a donation of 100 million won ($87,000) to victims of the quake via Compassion Korea, an international aid organization for children.
"We are making this donation in consideration of the urgency of the fact that so many of Haitians are dying of hunger and thirst at the moment", Cha said in a telephone...
MoreBy Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Korean dramas may be famous for their catchy storylines and handsome characters, but there is no doubt that heroines also play a big part in terms of popularity and content.
This year's drama lineup boasts various female characters, following last year's femme fatale Mi-shil from "
Queen Seon-deok" and secret agent Choi Seung-hee from
"IRIS".
Lee Da-hae stars in the new drama "
The Slave Hunters" as the captive Eon-nyeun who receives a new name, Kim Hye-won, upon rising in social status to the high-rank of "yangban".
She falls for fellow yangban-turned-slave-hunter Dae-gil, played by actor
Jang Hyeok, but things take a turn when she befriends Song Tae-ha, played by
Oh Ji-ho, the slave Dae-gil is pursuing.
The 25-year-old actress, along with the cast and producers, has a lot of weight on her shoulders, as the new drama follows the trail of the successful
"IRIS".
" I do hope that we will be able to continue the popularity and interest `Iris' enjoyed", Lee said during a press conference last year.
Lee has been in a numbe...
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