Ex-short track star Kwak Yun-ki reveals lifetime pension of W1m, last month's credit card bill of W28m

Former short track national team member Kwak Yun-ki, 36, long known for his frugal image, has revealed he ran up a credit card bill of 28 million won ($20,900) last month.

Kwak made the disclosure Thursday in a video published on Kiwoom Securities' official YouTube channel titled "Money Grilling Hearing," where he showed a side of himself that sharply contrasted with his penny-pinching reputation.

"Since I stopped competing, there are a lot of places money goes," he said. "The vast majority is food. I still buy buy-one-get-one deals — I don't need to anymore, but it's become a habit." He added that his biggest expense these days is buying meat for his younger teammates.

Comedian Park Yeong-jin asked how Kwak had managed to rack up a 28 million won credit card bill in a single month.

Kwak, who also runs a YouTube channel, explained that the spending went toward production costs for the channel. "I went to the World Cup and did overseas shoots," he said. "Four of us went, and I covered the expenses for the other three as well."

Asked whether he had saved a lot of money, he said, "I think I've saved well — my assets have grown a bit."

Kwak also revealed that he receives a lifetime pension of 1 million won a month. "It comes from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation," he said. "They pay athletes according to the pension points they accumulate."

Park noted that Kwak had won hundreds of medals over a decade and suggested 1 million won seemed too little. Kwak acknowledged there is a maximum cap on the benefit. "I started receiving the pension at 19," he said. "I used to give it to my parents, but now I'm saving it."

When asked whether he invests in shares, Kwak rolled his eyes and struggled to give a straight answer.

Kwak had previously appeared on an entertainment program and surprised viewers by revealing that he had used savings accumulated throughout his athletic career to buy his parents a home and had covered the full cost of his younger sister's wedding.