From Song Hye-kyo to BigBang’s Daesung – 6 Korean actors and K-pop idols turned real estate moguls
From owning houses and flats to developing commercial buildings, Korean stars like Rain and Kim Tae Hee have built up huge property portfolios
For high-net-worth Korean celebrities, investing in real estate is a reliable way to secure lucrative income and to grow long-term wealth. Investing may simply mean owning lavish properties for rent. Others, however, take a strategic approach, either flipping estates – purchasing, renovating, and selling to gain profit – or developing it for commercial use.
Below are six of the wealthiest Korean idols and celebrities who channelled their seven-figure salaries to finance their seriously impressive property portfolios.
Rain and Kim Tae Hee
The power couple have combined assets of 50 billion won (US$42.8 million). Kim Tae Hee owns US$5.1 million villa in Seoul’s Hannam district, a US$11.1 million building in Gangnam, and has an estimated US$17.1 million invested in other real estate holdings, according to Soompi. Rain, on the other hand, has a US$5.3 million villa and a US$21.4 million shopping centre in Cheongdam.
Song Hye-kyo
She was crowned “the queen of real estate” in an episode of tvN’s The List 2016. The Hallyu actress has three properties in affluent Samseong-dong. She listed one of them for sale at nearly US$7 million last April. She also had a flat in New York, which she sold in 2018.
Jun Ji Hyun