Actor Go Seung-hwan revealed himself as a building owner, making his previous statement a lie after a year.
Go Seung-hwan garnered attention around June of last year. He is the close older brother of actor Lee Joo-seung and captivated audiences with his brief appearance. He starred as the lead in "Rainbow Live" and demonstrated a thankful demeanor for even ordinary days, enjoying small happiness, providing a healing presence.
Go Seung-hwan's unadorned and harmless daily life resonated with us as we strive to find great happiness while living tough lives. Although it does not seem special, his genuine happiness and satisfaction reminded us of the simple yet certain happiness, "small but certain happiness," and made us reconsider what romance is.
However, while it was touching to see him finding happiness in small things without greed, some argued that he was able to live such a life because he had leisure. This was called the "building owner theory."
In response, Go Seung-hwan, who gained attention from "Home Alone," noted concerning the allegations during an interview for the film "The Marriage of Dawren," "It's quite troublesome because of that. You've created an image of me as a building owner, a rich person, but it's not true. I also pay monthly rent. Since it's not true, I haven't really responded, but there are detailed information and wrong information about how people live that circulate online, and it's quite perplexing. I hope those rumors don't spread further."
However, less than a year later, with Go Seung-hwan being revealed as a building owner, reactions have expressed disappointment regarding his explanation at that time. Go Seung-hwan, who dismissed the allegations as rumors and described himself as a "tenant," is now embroiled in controversy over lying after only a year of being revealed as a "building owner." Given that he had provided healing and received love with his unpretentious image, viewers' sense of betrayal has understandably intensified.
Go Seung-hwan was revealed as a building owner through his recent appearance on "Home Alone." A scene was aired where he personally repaired water damage caused by heavy rain, raising questions about why Go, who previously identified himself as a "tenant," was doing the waterproofing on the roof and wallpapering the living room himself.
Go Seung-hwan stated on his YouTube channel, "Every time I appear on the show, questions about how many buildings I own are endless. This building indeed belongs to my father, and I received the other half as a gift between 2021 and 2022. I paid all the gift tax. My father is a national merit awardee, but he developed dementia after gamma knife treatment and took over the property management duties due to his declining health," adding, "I have never pretended to be poor on the show, and I pay my father the monthly rent punctually. It's vague since I find it ambiguous to discuss my personal matters on air. But I never expected it would grow this large. I never pretended to be poor, and the area of the building is about 18 pyeong; that's a fact."
In particular, Go Seung-hwan noted, "The most ridiculous part is the idea that I'm pretending to be poor," adding, "Why would I do that? I enjoy spending money while filming, eating food, and living happily."
However, there are considerable responses of disappointment following Go Seung-hwan's explanation. If he had been open about this from the beginning, there might not have been any controversy, but since he established himself as a 'tenant' rather than a 'building owner' and was loved for his unpretentious image, the revelation of being a 'building owner' can only be seen as shocking and a betrayal. The public's disappointment stems from the fact that it is not about "Go Seung-hwan pretending to be poor," but "Go Seung-hwan not being straightforward about being a building owner."
Go Seung-hwan, who said the video he released on YouTube was his first and last explanation, is now under scrutiny regarding whether he will apologize for the sense of betrayal and hurt feelings he has caused the public, or whether he will provide additional comments.
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