From Sung Si-kyung to BLACKPINK’s Lisa: Stars fall victim to manager scams
From left, Sung Si-kyung, BLACKPINK's Lisa and Jung Woong-in / Xportsnews
The entertainment industry is reeling once again as another star, veteran singer Sung Si-kyung, revealed he suffered financial losses after being deceived by a longtime manager — reigniting discussion about betrayals of trust between Korean celebrities and their close aides.
Sung’s agency SK Jaewon confirmed Monday that his former manager, who had worked with him for over a decade, “committed acts that betrayed the company’s trust while performing official duties.” The individual had overseen concerts, TV appearances, and endorsements since the singer’s previous agency days. According to reports, his misconduct caused financial damages to Sung, partner companies and event organizers.
Sung Si-kyung / Xportsnews
“The past few months have been unbearably painful," Sung later said on his social media account. He said he had tried to maintain normalcy and “pretend to be fine” while continuing his YouTube channel and concerts, but admitted that both his body and voice had suffered. He promised to soon announce whether his year-end concert will go ahead and added that his YouTube content would be paused for a week.
This is not the first time a top Korean celebrity has been swindled by a trusted insider.
BLACKPINK's Lisa / Xportsnews
In 2020, BLACKPINK’s Lisa was also defrauded by her own manager, who had been with her since debut. The manager reportedly took about 1 billion won ($860,000) from her under the pretense of helping with real-estate investments. At the time, YG Entertainment said Lisa “chose to resolve the matter amicably,” noting that the former employee partially repaid the money and left the company. YG apologized to fans, admitting it was “shocked and deeply sorry that someone exploited the trust of an artist” and vowed to tighten oversight to prevent future incidents.
Jung Woong-in / Captured from Channel A
Actor Jung Woong-in shared a similar story on Channel A’s talk show “Four-person dining table,” aired Oct. 13. He recalled that after his sitcom “Three Friends,” he endured a career slump partly because his manager “took off with almost everything.” The manager allegedly used documents and seals in Jung’s name to take out loans with his car as collateral. “Even my house was seized,” Jung said, revealing he eventually pleaded for debt forgiveness and “knelt in front of people for the first time in my life.”
Many online users expressed sympathy and dismay over the incidents, commenting, “They’ll never be able to trust people again,” and “It’s heartbreaking because it’s not even their fault.”
While such betrayals may seem shocking, industry observers say they stem from the unusually close, family-like relationships between Korean stars and their managers — a bond that can become dangerously vulnerable when trust is misplaced.
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.