A's ex-wife, broadcaster Kim Byung-man, expressed her grievances regarding various allegations against her.
On the 8th, Woman Sense published an interview with A, who faced the end of her marriage with broadcaster Kim Byung-man after nine years. In the interview, A directly clarified the allegations surrounding her.
First, regarding the suspicion that she embezzled 670 million won from Kim Byung-man's assets, A stated, "It was for the funds to acquire dwellings. In the spring of 2019, I transferred the deposit of 600 million won for the house we were living in to my account first, and then when I gathered the money that was divided among several accounts, it amounted to 670 million won. I intended to add more through a loan to purchase a house. The media reported that while he was reissuing his certificate of authentication, I hastily withdrew 670 million won, which is not true. I was only in the process of acquiring a house."
He noted that he managed finances through Kim Byung-man's accounts since the beginning of their marriage, stating, "His income is entangled with multiple parties such as his agency, finance department, managers, and tax accountants, so no one can hide money like an ordinary family." He added, "Kim Byung-man wielded economic power as a weapon. If there was something he disliked during our marriage, he would change his certificate of authentication and take economic power, then return it to me several times. I considered it trivial because there had been similar incidents before. After transferring that 670 million won, Kim Byung-man texted me, 'That's illegal. Return the money.' The next day, he treated me as usual, and I thought he was angry and threatening me with economic power but would soon return to normal."
A mentioned, "Due to the impact of COVID-19, Kim Byung-man's appearances decreased, leading to a drop in income, which made me question why health insurance premiums were still the same. I inquired with the Health Insurance Corporation. At that time, I believed Kim Byung-man's total assets were over 2 billion won, but it turned out to be much more. A month later, in September 2019, after that incident, Kim Byung-man left home. And until now, there has been no contact. In the meantime, the divorce petition arrived," explaining the origin of the conflict. She claimed there were no problems until then, saying that "about a month before the day he left, I had plans for a collaboration concert in Canada with my brother-in-law, who is a violinist, and four months before that, our family had also planned to move to New Zealand. However, 11 months after he ran away, in August 2020, the divorce petition arrived."
Regarding the suspicion that she secretly subscribed to 24 life insurance policies without Kim Byung-man's knowledge, A clarified, "It's not life insurance; there are 24 'insurances.' Kim Byung-man's lawyer distorted it by saying it was life insurance just by looking at the names of the insurance companies with 'life' in them. It also included general insurances like fire insurance and car insurance, as well as fire insurance for Kim Byung-man's parents' home, my family home, and office," emphasizing, "In fact, there were only four life insurance policies. The premiums ranged from 6 million to 7 million won per month, of which 5 million won was for pension insurance. Kim Byung-man also knew all about the insurances. He called FCs to the broadcasting station and signed the contracts himself."
It is also stated that A was the policyholder of the insurance and her daughter, B, was the beneficiary, who claimed, "I never wanted to renounce custody of my daughter and never demanded 3 billion won. My lawyer once told me that they contacted Kim Byung-man's side regarding property division and custody to expedite the lawsuit. At that time, I strongly requested (the lawyer) not to link custody and financial matters. In the early stages of the divorce lawsuit, Kim Byung-man's side proposed 1.8 billion won and asked if there was an intention to agree to divorce. At that time, I couldn't accept the claim that I embezzled Kim Byung-man's money, so I refused. Later, during the divorce proceedings, a similar offer came again, but upon closer examination, there was a clause stating 'cooperation for the renunciation of custody of my biological child,' which I rejected. Kim Byung-man's lawyer and agency personnel repeatedly offered to give me an additional 200 million to 300 million won as a property division if I would agree to renounce custody, but I rejected each time."
In particular, regarding the prosecution's decision of 'no charges' against Kim Byung-man for assault allegations, A stated, "It was an old matter, so I couldn't know the exact date the assault happened, and there were times I didn't go to the hospital immediately after being assaulted. Among the mentioned incidents of assault, 80% had passed the statute of limitations and were decided as no charges. For the others, at the beginning of the divorce lawsuit, I had no intention of bringing up the issue of assault, so I was insufficiently prepared with materials or testimonies," adding, "I endured it for the sake of preserving the family. I was married before, so I had to endure more. It may not be understandable, but because there was a deep emotional bond, I could also bear the assaults."
Regarding the claim that she demanded 3 billion won as a condition for accepting the renunciation of custody, A stated, "I never wanted to renounce custody of my daughter, nor did I ever ask for 3 billion won. My lawyer once informed me that they contacted Kim Byung-man's side regarding property division and custody to expedite the lawsuit. At that time, I strongly requested (the lawyer) not to link custody and financial issues together." She explained, "In the early stages of the divorce lawsuit, Kim Byung-man's side proposed 1.8 billion won and asked if I had the intention to agree to divorce. At that time, I couldn't accept the claim that I embezzled Kim Byung-man's money, so I refused. Later, during the divorce proceedings, a similar amount offer came again, but upon examining it closely, I noticed a clause stating 'cooperation for the renunciation of custody of my biological child,' which I rejected. Kim Byung-man's lawyer and agency personnel repeatedly suggested giving me an additional 200 million to 300 million won in property division for cooperating on the custody renunciation, but I rejected every time."
However, she noted that she did not refuse the renunciation of custody because of inheritance. A stated, "I don't need money. Additionally, I think that I am attempting to receive a larger portion of property division in the divorce, but normally homemakers receive about 25% of property division during divorce. I also received 25%." Regarding the renunciation of custody of her daughter B, which was pronounced after three lawsuits, she emphasized, "The court found it hard to expect a harmonious father-daughter relationship between the two, and considering that the daughter is an adult, the renunciation was made."
A revealed her frustrations, saying, "I was infuriated and fainted when I saw Kim Byung-man appearing on Channel A's 'Four-Person Table' in 2024, stating, 'I lived with my ex-wife for a year and then we separated. I wanted a child, but she refused to get pregnant, and I ignored divorce requests for nine years.' Until Kim Byung-man ran away in 2019, the marriage was maintained smoothly. Unable to communicate with him, I sought the help of the media, saying, 'Please stop lying,' but within two hours, I became labeled 'a fraudulent insurance woman.' I did not take Kim Byung-man's money freely and secretly subscribe to insurances against his life. I never refused to get pregnant. For over seven years, I tried to conceive through in vitro fertilization, and I even took a leave of absence from work for it. Later, I reached menopause and was in a state where becoming pregnant was impossible."
She added, "I want a heartfelt apology from Kim Byung-man. In the custody renunciation lawsuit, it is written that 'Kim Byung-man is the goose that lays the golden egg, and you two women are only after the money.' I lived off the money Kim Byung-man earned and raised our daughter. I am truly grateful for that part. However, I have neither lived lavishly off Kim Byung-man's money nor hidden assets."
Meanwhile, Kim Byung-man and A tied the knot in 2010 but completed the divorce process in 2023 after a lawsuit. During this process, A filed a complaint against Kim Byung-man for habitual assault, which he denied, also prosecuting A for violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, but both sides were concluded with 'no charges.' In April this year, news emerged that Kim Byung-man would remarry a non-celebrity woman in September. Subsequently, it was revealed that there were children out of wedlock between Kim Byung-man and his fiancée, leading to controversy, but Kim Byung-man's side clarified, "After the marriage relationship collapsed, I had two children with my current fiancée."
[Photo] OSEN DB
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