The man accused of having an affair with trot singer Sook Haeng (legal name Han Sook-haeng, 46), who was sued for having an affair with a married man, claimed that he and Sook Haeng dated when his marriage had already collapsed and said Sook Haeng is a victim.
On Jan. 1, a video featuring an interview with a married man, identified as A, was posted 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 thought I should explain."
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 got to know Sook Haeng through an acquaintance in 2024 and began a full-fledged relationship last spring.
A claimed he grew closer to Sook Haeng after beginning a separation from his wife in early February last year. He acknowledged, however, that they were not legally divorced. "The issue arose because we are still a married couple on paper," he said.
A said, "I wanted to end things with my wife right away, but I waited until my child finished the college entrance exam," adding, "I kept persuading Sook Haeng that 'I'm separated with divorce in mind, and everything is practically wrapped up.'"
He added, "Sook Haeng kept checking with me whether the marital relationship had really been settled."
A also said he never lived with Sook Haeng. Regarding images of the two showing physical affection captured by an APT. elevator CCTV, he said, "It was filmed when Sook Haeng came to the separate place where I live," adding, "There was no cohabitation. My wife simply concluded we lived in the same home."
A said, "I'm not denying the fact that Sook Haeng met a married man, but only paperwork remained, so it was reasonable to believe I was divorced," adding, "All of this happened because of me, and Sook Haeng is being subjected to a witch hunt."
He said, "In the end, she believed me and was deceived. In every step of this, Sook Haeng is the victim."
The allegations of Sook Haeng's affair surfaced on the 29th with a report on JTBC "Incident Chief." The report featured 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 Sook Haeng posted a handwritten letter on social media (SNS), saying, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern due to a recent personal matter," and announced she would step down from the MBN competition program "King of Singers 3." However, she refrained from commenting on the affair controversy.
Sook Haeng said, "I will clarify all the facts 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 coverage."