Actor Son Ye-jin's monthly interest on a commercial building she purchased for 24.4 billion won in 2022 amounts to 50 million won.
In a video released on the 26th by the YouTube channel 'Greenguarding,' comedian Kim Gu-ra met with real estate experts.
In the video, Kim Gu-ra said, "A while ago, there was an article about Son Ye-jin. She built an extension on a building in a very good spot on the main road in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, which is valued at around 24 billion won, but there has been a report that it's currently vacant. I want to ask about this."
Kim In-man, head of the Real Estate Economic Research Institute, responded, "First of all, the land Son Ye-jin purchased is about 80 to 84 pyeong. It is a good size for building a small building, and she bought it for 24.4 billion won. So, she purchased it for about 30 million won per pyeong," and noted, "If it's 30 million won per pyeong in Gangnam, it seems she bought it in a decent commercial area on the main road."
He continued, "These days, people who have raised buildings from the second to the fifth floors are having a hard time. If you manage a two-story building well, you don’t incur construction costs."
Kim added, "Construction costs have increased significantly these days, and if you build new, it incurs construction costs." He further explained, "If you simply think about it, for 84 pyeong, if the floor area ratio is around five stories, the total floor area would be about 250 pyeong," and pointed out, "Construction costs these days are around 10 million won per pyeong, so the total construction cost would have been around 2.5 billion won."
He added, "The purchase price included construction costs. Now that it's built, it needs to be leased out, but the rental price is fixed," and noted, "The return on investment should yield a certain amount; however, given the current poor economic conditions in Gangnam, that price isn't being met." He remarked, "If prices are lowered, the value of the building decreases. This is a dilemma."
Kim Gu-ra said, "We can't leave it vacant forever. The economy isn’t going to rise dramatically either."
In response, Kim noted, "That's the concern. In the case of Son Ye-jin, the maximum bond amount is about 18 billion won. That would mean a loan of about 15 billion won," and he explained, "Even if we consider the interest rate on the loan at 4%, she is currently paying about 600 million won a year. This amounts to 50 million won a month, and of course, since she can afford it, she is able to pay it."
Kim Gu-ra remarked, "She should be paying rent, but instead, she has to pay 50 million won in cash every month."
When Kim noted, "I wonder if celebrities could manage this, or not," Kim Gu-ra responded, "Take a humanitarian perspective. No matter how much money one has, paying 50 million won in cash each month doesn’t make sense," and added, "You never know when it might end. It’s a situation that's tough to handle for anyone, not just Son Ye-jin."