Actor Kim Seung-woo faces theft complaint over W22m taken from acquaintance

Actor Kim Seung-woo is under investigation after being accused of stealing 22 million won ($16,500) from an acquaintance.

According to a Thursday newspaper report, an acquaintance identified only as A filed a theft complaint against Kim with the Seoul Gangnam Police Station in July.

The complaint alleges that on Oct. 29, 2021, Kim took 22 million won in cash from A's wallet while the two were drinking with others at a bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, after A had stepped away from the table.

According to A, the two had known each other since around 2019 and were close enough to have gone out drinking together 70 to 80 times over five years starting in 2020. A claims Kim had on about six occasions taken 300,000 won to 1 million won from the wallet to give as tips to female staff at the bar, and that A had warned Kim several times to keep away from the wallet.

In 2021, the year of the alleged incident, the two were working together on "The Driver," a standalone drama series produced for MBN. A was an investor in the production, while Kim served as director.

On the night in question, Kim, A and other members of the production — including cast and crew — were drinking together at the bar when Kim allegedly took the 22 million won from A's wallet.

A says the missing money was only discovered after the gathering ended and the two had parted ways, prompting A to return to the bar and question the staff. Female employees reportedly told A that Kim had taken money from the wallet while telling them not to say anything, and that they had witnessed Kim removing cash from it.

"The next day, while I was playing golf, Kim called and said he was sorry, but he never returned the money," A said, adding that the complaint was filed because the money had still not been repaid.

Kim's side rebuffed the allegation, saying the money was taken as a prank and that more than the full amount had since been returned.

Kim's legal representative said Kim had hidden the money as a joke in front of others before returning it, and that the full amount — and more — had been repaid.

However, the timeline of any repayment remains unclear. One transfer cited involves Kim sending 25 million won to a corporation owned by A in three installments between 2023 and 2026; A maintains that money was repayment of a separate loan, not the stolen cash. The other involves a transfer of 30 million won that Kim sent to A on Oct. 31, 2021 — two days after the alleged incident. A contends that sum represented a 10 percent return on a 300 million won investment, noting that the 300 million won principal itself was deposited the following day, Nov. 1.

Kim's side described the two as having been on close, brotherly terms, saying Kim had voluntarily deposited 2 million won each month into an account in A's spouse's name to support the family while A was serving time in prison for an unrelated offense. "A's claims appear to stem from memory lapses caused by the physical and mental hardship of incarceration," the statement said.

A is currently serving a prison sentence at Gwangju Correctional Institution on economic crime charges.