Trot music singer Sukhang (47, real name Han Sukhang) has lost a damages lawsuit stemming from an alleged affair with a married man identified only as A, and reports have emerged that she is now facing financial hardship. The man at the center of the case — who refused Sukhang's request to testify on her behalf — gave an interview to a YouTube channel saying the situation was caused by him, not her.
Lee Jin-ho, a former journalist turned YouTuber, covered the case Thursday on his YouTube channel "Respect Lee Jin-ho."
The controversy erupted in December last year when A's wife publicly alleged on a broadcast program that A had left the family home and was living with Sukhang after having an affair with her. Sukhang maintained that she had believed A's marriage had broken down and that the couple had effectively agreed to divorce, with only the paperwork remaining. However, the seventh civil division of the Seongnam branch of Suwon District Court ruled Thursday that Sukhang bore responsibility in the damages suit filed against her by A's wife, issuing a partial ruling in the wife's favor.
Lee said Sukhang had requested that A appear as a witness in the trial to explain directly what he had told her that led her to believe he was already divorced — but A refused to testify. According to Lee, A declined on the grounds that he did not want to hurt his children.
"Sukhang was betrayed by A again," Lee added.
Lee said it had been confirmed that Sukhang had halted all broadcast activities and gone into seclusion as a result of the incident, suffering significant financial damage. "People close to her have said she is going through financial hardship," he said. "What can you do — it appears she is bearing the consequences of her own wrongful actions."
A, who had refused to appear as a witness in court, came forward in a phone interview on Lee's YouTube channel to give his account.
"Regardless, the fact that she met a married man does not change — but the process and so much of what was reported in the media has been distorted," he said, explaining why he agreed to the interview. "I felt I needed to clear some of that up."
A said he first met Sukhang through a friend he had known for 10 years, initially to discuss business marketing matters.
"It was not a formal 'let's date' situation," he said. "My marriage had gone bad, so I was living separately — I had moved out and rented my own place. I asked Sukhang for advice on things like furniture and appliances. She was living with her younger sibling, so she would bring over banchan and things like that. I was the one who first expressed my feelings. I told her I had moved out with divorce in mind."
"The focus seems to be entirely on the idea that Sukhang lured a married man and broke up a family, but this all happened because of me," A said. "My wife and I had discussed alimony and asset division multiple times — twice while we were living apart. I wanted to file for divorce, but my wife would not agree to it. What my wife wants is to stay married, ruin Sukhang and destroy my business."
paq@heraldcorp.com
