Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Choi Jin-sil’s mother has spoken out directly about the controversy surrounding Choi Jin-sil’s estate.

On the 5th, the YouTube channel ‘Entertainment Behind-the-Scenes President Lee Jin-ho’ posted a video titled ‘Shocking exclusive! “My maternal grandmother took my money” The full story of Choi Jin-sil’s 30 billion-won inheritance’. In the video, Lee Jin-ho mentioned the inheritance controversy that resurfaced after the recent announcement of daughter Choi Jun-hee’s marriage, stating that he met the late Choi Jin-sil’s mother, Jeong Ok-suk, and heard her account firsthand.

Previously, in 2023, Choi Jun-hee claimed, “While I was a minor, my maternal grandmother meddled with my share of the assets,” sparking a stir. Subsequently, online, unverified sums such as ‘an inheritance in the 20-billion-won range vanished’, ‘30 billion won’, and ‘in the 70-billion-won range’ spread as if they were established facts.

In response, Jeong said, “After my daughter passed away, when we opened the safe, cash-equivalent assets were about 1.5 billion won.” However, the bank accounts were frozen right after her death, and a substantial portion was quickly depleted by advertising penalty fees, various litigation costs, and comprehensive income tax payments. She lamented, “Just the penalties for contracted projects and the taxes alone were in the hundreds of millions of won,” adding, “Debts and lawsuits were all inherited as well.”

YouTube channel ‘Entertainment Behind-the-Scenes President Lee Jin-ho’

According to Jeong, the assets Choi Jin-sil left were two propertiesa house in Jamwon-dong and an officeteland they were inherited 50% each by her son Choi Hwan-hee and daughter Choi Jun-hee. The properties have not been sold for 19 years, and she said the monthly income currently generated from renting them also goes to the two children. She emphasized, “I wanted to pass on exactly what my daughter left to her children.”

She also stated her position regarding the property under Jo Seong-min’s name, which had become another source of controversy. Although the building was known to be worth around 2 billion won, disposal was unavoidable due to the burden structure of taxes and management fees. She explained, “The amount remaining after deducting various taxes and expenses in the sale process was distributed to the two children.”

Above all, Jeong opened up about her state of mind at the time and shed tears. She said, “After sending my daughter off, I only wanted to die as well. But when I saw the two children sitting in front of me, I just couldn’t.” She added, “In that state of mind, how could I think about grabbing money? I endured with a single thoughtto at least see the kids’ schooling through to the end.”

She continued, “Every time I heard ‘20 billion, 50 billion, 70 billion’, it felt so unjust. Money I never even saw,” and appealed, “When I die, who will be there to know this story? At the very least, I want to correct what isn’t true.”

Meanwhile, Choi Jin-sil passed away in 2008 at the age of 39. Since then, her two children have grown up under their maternal grandmother’s care, and with the recent news of Choi Jun-hee’s marriage, interest in the family’s story has once again been rekindled.