The man alleged to have had an affair with trot singer Sook-haeng (legal name Han Sook-haeng, 46), who has been sued over an extramarital relationship with a married man, said the marriage was already broken when he dated her and argued that Sook-haeng is a victim.
On the 1st, a video featuring an interview with a married man identified as A was released on the YouTube channel "Entertainment President Lee Jin-ho." A said, "It doesn't change the fact that I met a married man, but there's so much distortion that I felt I should clear it up."
A, who introduced himself as a businessman born in 1979, the same age as Sook-haeng, said he married in 2004 and has children. He said he came to know Sook-haeng through an acquaintance in 2024 and began dating in earnest in the spring of last year.
A claimed he grew closer to Sook-haeng after he began living apart from his wife in early February last year. He acknowledged, however, that he was not legally divorced. "This issue erupted because we are still married on paper," he said.
A said, "I wanted to end things with my wife right away, but I waited until our child finished the college entrance exam," adding, "I kept persuading Sook-haeng by saying, 'I'm separated with divorce in mind, and everything is basically wrapped up.'"
He added, "Sook-haeng kept checking with me whether the marital relationship had been settled."
A also said he never lived together with Sook-haeng. Regarding the affectionate footage of the two captured on an APT. elevator CCTV, he said, "She was filmed when she came to the place where I was living separately," asserting, "There was no cohabitation. My wife assumed we were living together."
A said, "I'm not denying the fact that she met a married man, but with only paperwork left, she could have believed a divorce had effectively taken place," adding, "All of this happened because of me, but Sook-haeng is being subjected to a witch hunt."
He said, "In the end, she believed me and was deceived. In this whole process, Sook-haeng is the victim."
The adultery allegation against Sook-haeng surfaced on the 29th with a report by JTBC "Case Chief." The report aired a tip from a housewife in her 40s whose husband fell into an affair with a famous trot singer. APT. CCTV footage showing the two hugging or kissing was also released.
Afterward, speculation spread online that the other woman was Sook-haeng, and she posted a handwritten letter on social media (SNS) saying, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern over a recent personal matter," and announced she would step down from the MBN competition program "King of Singers 3." However, she was reserved in addressing the adultery controversy.
Sook-haeng said, "All the facts will be clarified through legal procedures later," and added, "The indiscriminate spread of unverified claims could cause irreparable harm to me, my family, and the program I participated in, so please refrain from excessive and unnecessary reporting."