On March 5, a video titled “Shocking Exclusive! ‘My Grandmother Took My Money’ – The Truth Behind Choi Jin-sil’s 30 Billion Won Inheritance (Part 1)” was uploaded to the “Entertainment President Lee Jin-ho” YouTube channel. In the video, entertainment journalist Lee Jin-ho discussed the issue of inheritance that has resurfaced following recent family developments.
Lee Jin-ho explained that the topic once again attracted attention after Choi Jin-sil’s daughter Choi Jun-hee recently announced her upcoming wedding. He noted that the inheritance dispute has been in dispute for several years.
In July 2023, Choi Jun-hee publicly stated that the conflict began when her grandmother allegedly touched her share of inheritance while she was still a minor. At the time, he said the problem was not simply a question of money, but of breach of trust due to what he described as embezzlement. Since then, speculation about Choi Jin-sil’s assets has spread online, with rumors that his worth ranged from 20 to 70 billion won.
To clarify the situation, Lee Jin-ho conducted an interview with Choi Jin-sil’s mother, Jung Ok-sook. Jung revealed that he first learned about his niece Choi Jun-hee’s upcoming wedding via YouTube. She said hearing the news made her think of her late daughter and brought her to tears, adding that she feels extremely cautious when talking about her grandchildren.
Regarding the legacy, Jung expressed his frustration with the rumors. According to his explanation given by Lee Jin-ho, Choi Jin-sil had very little cash remaining at the time of his disappearance. At the time of her divorce from baseball player Cho Sung-min in 2004, she had been unable to work for about three years, which had significantly depleted her savings. She later made a successful comeback through the drama “My Rosy Life”, which allowed her to earn money again.
However, after Choi Jin-sil’s death in 2008, much of the remaining money quickly dwindled due to advertising penalties, legal fees, and overall income taxes. As a result, the main assets he left behind were two properties: a house in Jamwon-dong and an office. These properties were inherited equally by son Choi Hwan-hee and daughter Choi Jun-hee, each with a 50% share.
Jung Ok-sook stressed that she herself does not hold any ownership stake in the properties and has no authority to sell them. The properties are currently rented out, generating a monthly rental income of about 15 million won, which goes directly to the two grandchildren now that they are adults. He also noted that the properties have not been sold in the 19 years since Choi Jin-sil’s death.
Lee Jin-ho said that Jung’s wish was always to preserve the assets left by his daughter and pass them on intact to his grandchildren.
Jung also revealed that he faced financial difficulties after Choi Jin-sil’s death, largely due to the high costs of raising and educating his grandchildren. Despite the difficulties, he said he never sold any of the properties left behind by his daughter.
Furthermore, the two nephews inherited the land from their father, Cho Sung-min. According to Lee Jin-ho, the property was worth about 2 billion won. However, it was eventually sold, and due to taxes and running costs, the proceeds did not go to Jung. He explained that income from renting the property had gone to Cho Sung-min’s parents, while taxes, including land tax, property tax and rental-related taxes, had been paid on behalf of the children.
Jung further claimed that significant expenses such as taxes, real estate costs, deposits, and financial support for the paternal grandparents were paid after the property was sold. After all the expenses were paid, there was approximately 1 billion won left which was given to Choi Hwan-hee and Choi Jun-hee.
Lee Jin-ho pointed out that when Choi Jin-sil died, the cash in her bank accounts was frozen and later used to cover fines, lawsuits and living expenses. Despite this, rumors continued to circulate that his alleged 20 billion won fortune had disappeared, causing distress to the family.
Jung Ok-sook said she decided to speak out because she wanted to correct misinformation. He stated, “If I die like this, who will know the truth? At the very least, I want to correct the parts that aren’t true.”
Meanwhile, Choi Jin-sil married Cho Sung-min in 2000, but the couple divorced four years later. Their two children, Choi Hwan-hee and Choi Jun-hee, were raised by Choi Jin-sil until her tragic death in 2008 at the age of 39.
Choi Jun-hee will celebrate her wedding on May 16 at a hotel in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Her boyfriend is an office worker who is 11 years older than her and the two have reportedly been in a relationship for five years.
Sources: Nate
