Cast stunned as Lee Sang-min reveals W1.5b income on Wavve show

Broadcaster Lee Sang-min, 53, a former member of the popular group Rula, drew widespread attention after revealing on a variety show that he earned 1.5 billion won ($983,000) last year.

Lee made the disclosure Friday on "Piui Game X," a variety show on the streaming platform Wavve, while completing a mission that prompted cast members to share their annual incomes — leaving fellow contestants visibly stunned.

The game had contestants select team funds based on each participant's prior-year comprehensive income tax base.

As cast members began guessing one another's earnings, Lee proposed that everyone reveal their actual figures. The disclosures that followed showed comedian Gwak Beom earned 500 million won, professional basketball player Lee Gwan-hui 300 million won, former baseball player Jeong Geun-woo 200 million won, AI researcher Heo Seong-beom 200 million won, professional gamer Hong Jin-ho 100 million won and announcer Park Ji-min 80 million won.

When it was Lee's turn, he said, "Mine is 1.5 billion won," leaving some cast members open-mouthed.

Lee rose to fame in the 1990s as the leader of Rula and went on to produce acts including Country Coco and Shakra. His fortunes reversed in the 2000s, however, when a complex restaurant venture called "Kim Me Five" — which blended entertainment, food service and UFC — failed, leaving him 6.98 billion won in debt by 2005. He became widely known as an "icon of debt" as he appeared on numerous programs documenting his efforts to pay it off. In April 2024, he appeared on SBS's "My Little Old Boy" and announced he had cleared all his debts after 17 years, drawing widespread congratulations. He remarried last year, wedding a non-celebrity 10 years his junior.