By Kwon Mee-yoo
Singer Kim Wan-sun, 41, said on MBC talk show "The Knee-Drop Guru," Wednesday, that her retirement announced in 1992 was a lie, plotted by Han Baek-hee, her aunt and agent.
"My aunt Han wanted to promote me as a singer of Asia, not Korea. She decided to announce my 'retirement' to shock the audience before going abroad,” Kim confessed on the talk show. "I knew the truth and didn't want to make the announcement. That's why I cried when I made the announcement."
She said Han did not pay her for 13 years. "From my make-up to costumes, everything was arranged by my aunt and she chose my music as well," Kim said.
She said of her aunt, "She always gave me fierce looks when I came back off the stage and that might be the cause of the rumors that she is not my real aunt," Kim said on the show. "She always stood next to me and I couldn't talk privately with other singers; I had no friends at all then."
After making her debut in 1986 with the album "Tonight," Kim was called "the dancing queen of the K-pop renaissance era." She dominated the female artist scene in the late 1980s and early ‘90s with her charismatic performances. Her new mini album "Super Love" is to be released next week.
Hosted by entertainer Kang Ho-dong, the show looks to find a solution to guest’s problems. The entertainers and celebrities who have been on the show include Kolleen Park, TVXQ and swimmer Park Tae-hwan.