Singer Yuk Joong-wan regrets passing on rooftop building that went from W850m to W4b

Singer Yuk Joong-wan has shared the story of how he missed his chance to buy the rooftop apartment building in Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, where he once lived.

Yuk appeared Tuesday on Defcon's YouTube channel "DefconTV." The two are founding members of the MBC variety show "I Live Alone."

During their conversation, Defcon asked, "I wonder how that rooftop place is doing. Shouldn't you have bought it out of courtesy?"

The rooftop apartment was where Yuk lived during his time on "I Live Alone." He has previously said he continued using it as a studio after his marriage but eventually gave it up after acquaintances began showing up with drinks in the early hours of the morning.

"The landlord offered to sell me the entire building for 850 million won ($570,000) at the time," Yuk said. "That included everything from the first floor to the fourth floor and the rooftop." Defcon expressed surprise, saying the property must be worth at least 5 billion won now. Yuk gave a rueful smile and said he had heard it was worth around 4 billion won.

Yuk also explained why he had not gone through with the purchase. "The landlord even said, 'I really don't want to sell, but if it's you, Joong-wan, I'd let it go,'" he said. "But I couldn't do it. I didn't have the money then, and while a loan would have made it possible, I was too scared and gave up."

Yuk debuted in 2011 with the band Jangmiryeowan and, after the group disbanded, formed Yuk Joong-wan Band with Kang Jun-woo. He married a non-celebrity in 2016 and has one daughter.