Ryoo Si-won (류시원)

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...More

Hallyu star Ryoo Si-won [Park Sung-ki/Asia Economic Daily]

Singer and actor Ryoo Si-won is appointed the promotional ambassador for the 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix held at EL Tower in Seoul, South Korea on March 16, 2010...More

Korean actor/singer Ryoo Si-won at the fan meeting in Japan [R's Company]

Korean actor and singer Ryoo Si-won held a fan meeting in Japan last week which brought together 1,200 of his fans from around the country, according to his agency on Wednesday.

Fans met with the Hallyu star during a four hour-long meeting held February 16, during which Ryoo performed several of his hit songs from his second album and new tracks from his upcoming record, an official at R's Company explained....More

TALK OF THE TOWN

Actor kwon Sang-woo will make his Japanese singing debut with the release of a new DVD tomorrow. The disc titled, "Dream in Japan", consists of footage of the actor trying out things he has always wanted to do, including singing in Japanese.

In an interview with Japan-based Sankei Sports on Tuesday, Kwon said, "Singing is one of the ways to get closer to my fans. I've always been jealous of Ryoo Si-won, who has been doing nationwide tours in Japan". Kwon will sing the ballads "Missing" and "Tears for Love" at fan meetings at the Osaka International Convention Center and Tokyo International Forum on Feb. 24 and 2...More

Hallyu star Ryoo Si-won [Park Sung-ki/Asia Economic Daily]

Hallyu star Ryoo Si-won speaks at the "2009 CJ O Super Race Award" held at the Ibis Ambassador hotel in Suwon, South Korea on February 8, 2010. Ryoo, also captain of his racing team Team106, received an award for his contribution to the industry at the event....More