Comedian Lee Guk-joo has begun a new "double life" shuttling between Korea and Japan, generating empathy with her honesty about the reality of being 40 and her surprise at Japan's unexpected "cooling bill bomb."
Lee started living alone in a 9-pyeong studio apartment in Tokyo in April to embark on new challenges. She emphasized her desire to save and work hard like when she was a rookie, explaining, "I wanted to try something new when there was no work," and "I wanted to learn a language and gain life experience," while starting her double life between Korea and Japan.
However, Lee Guk-joo's "Tokyo life" was immediately criticized as "luxurious living alone." When images of her buying expensive meals or taking taxis were revealed, some internet users pointed out that it seemed detached from the reality of typical students living alone.
In response, Lee explained through her YouTube channel, "I want to say that I am not in my 20s living alone and taking on challenges. I am in my 40s. I need to take on challenges that match my age; if I suddenly eat only McDonald's, my bones will decay." She particularly added, "Don't say things like, 'You eat that because you have money.' I'm not 20 anymore."
In response to Lee Guk-joo's candid rebuttal, internet users reacted with comments like "It's much better than cosplaying as a beggar just because you live alone," "It's a realistic living alone at 40. I respect that," and "Everyone knows she has money, but pretending not to have it while being stingy would seem more ridiculous."
Following the "luxurious living alone" controversy, Lee faced the "reality" of living alone in Japan and once again provided laughter and shared understanding. Recently, during her YouTube channel, she met her younger brother Lee Seon-gyu and his Japanese friend Kaede, where she heard about the high electricity and water bills in Japan.
When Kaede explained that the average summer electricity bill reaches 40,000 yen (approximately 380,000 won), Lee exclaimed, "No... I can't turn on the air conditioner," adding, "Then this month's bill is…" and was taken aback. She became contemplative, recalling how she had been using the air conditioner profusely. Lee even joked about her younger brother Lee Seon-gyu's spending of 40,000 won on lottery tickets, saying, "If you hadn't done gacha (lottery), you wouldn't have to pay for (the electricity bill)," eliciting laughter.
Thus, Lee Guk-joo, who started a new challenge of living alone at 40 while juggling life between Korea and Japan, became embroiled in an unexpected "luxurious" controversy but faced it head-on with her unique cheerfulness and honesty. Her confident rebuttal about her lifestyle and her human side of being surprised by the "cooling bill bomb" raised expectations about what kind of empathy and laughter she would provide in the future.
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