Actor Lee Soon-jae Responds to Manager Servant Life Controversy: "Exaggerated Report... A Servant in Today's World?"

Actor Lee Soon-jae [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Actor Lee Soon-jae has expressed his position regarding Mr. Kim, who claimed to have been unfairly dismissed after working as his manager for two months.

According to Sports Chosun on the 30th, Lee Soon-jae stated that the claims made by former manager Mr. Kim in a broadcast interview were "excessively exaggerated and biased reporting."

Earlier, on the 29th, Mr. Kim claimed on SBS's "8 o'clock News" that "A (Lee Soon-jae)'s wife made me do basic tasks like sorting trash, carrying delivered water bottles, and shoe repairs, among other household chores," and added, "I raised the issue but was unfairly dismissed."

Regarding this, Lee Soon-jae explained, "During the approximately two months of work, my wife asked me to do personal errands about three times, and after learning about it, I warned her," and "I also apologized to Mr. Kim about that part."

He continued, "The report used the term 'servant life,' which is absurd," and said, "I am in my mid-80s and have been in the industry for over 60 years," adding, "In today's world, are you saying I treated my manager like a servant?"

Lee Soon-jae said, "Mr. Kim also complained to me about the four major insurances and wage issues, but all matters regarding the manager's employment and treatment are handled by the academy, so I told him to 'listen to what Mr. Kim has to say' to the academy," and added, "If there are any mistakes, I can apologize, but I will hold a press conference on July 2 to clarify the exaggerated parts."

Photo by SBS '8 o'clock News'

Meanwhile, on "8 o'clock News," Mr. Kim revealed that besides manager duties, he was responsible for sorting trash at A's house, carrying water bottles, and running miscellaneous errands.

In particular, Mr. Kim said he was verbally abused by A's wife because she was dissatisfied with how he handled tasks.

Mr. Kim claimed he worked over 55 hours on average, including five days off during weekends over two months. However, he said there were no holiday or weekend allowances, and his basic salary was only 1.8 million won. He requested the company to enroll him in the four major insurances, but the company scolded him, saying they did not directly employ A.

Eventually, Mr. Kim was reportedly dismissed after about two months of work. The company that employed Mr. Kim did not issue a labor contract, making it difficult for him to confront the company based on a contract.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.