Monthly management fees of 1.5 million won, luxury bags worth 3 million won = penny-pincher? Do Kyung-wan and Brian’s shattered “economic common sense” raises eyebrows [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Broadcaster Do Kyung-wan (44) and singer Brian (45) raised viewers’ eyebrows with their forced “penny-pincher” act.

Do Kyung-wan, the husband of singer Jang Yoon-jung, recently complained about “financial hardship” on the KBS 2TV variety show 'New Product Launch Bunsik-tang,' only to face strong backlash. This was because he forcibly staged a frugal lifestyle while residing in The Penthouse, an ultra-luxury residence worth over 12 billion won. Moreover, Jang Yoon-jung and Do Kyung-wan had previously drawn attention for purchasing this 12 billion won The Penthouse entirely with cash.

Despite this, Do Kyung-wan confessed that his “bank account balance was 250,000 won” and resorted to extreme frugality concepts, such as instructing his children to flush toilets using collected water to save on management fees, or going to the apartment lobby to cool off with the home air conditioning turned off.

However, in the process, he exposed behavior that appeared to reflect a distorted sense of economics, inviting fierce criticism from viewers. The monthly home management fee Do Kyung-wan cited while complaining about financial hardship reached the hefty sum of “1.5 million won,” causing feelings of deprivation and discomfort among common people.

Ultimately, the broadcast segment featuring Do Kyung-wan’s poverty cosplay escalated to the point where a complaint was filed with the Broadcasting Media Communications Standards Commission for review.

Like Do Kyung-wan, Brian had previously boasted about his approximately 300-pyeong mansion on various variety shows, yet he created trouble by promoting a “penny-pincher” image. Recently, on SBS's 'My Unpretty Little Baby,' he revealed his detached house equipped with an outdoor pool and gym, stating, “Excluding the land cost and furniture expenses, the construction cost alone exceeded 2 billion won.” Brian’s detached house, which is two stories above ground and one story underground, was also shown off as a realization of the dream home he had always envisioned.

In this context, on the 3rd, Brian uploaded a video titled “How Brian, who poured all his assets into his house, gets luxury goods cheaply” to his YouTube channel 'The Brian.'

In the video, Brian said, “Many of you might think, ‘This guy is showing off his money again,’ but that’s not it. I’m not trying to show off my wealth; this is my luxury collection that I have been saving up for 40 years of my life.”

Brian then repeatedly emphasized that these were “luxury goods he got as bargains by shopping smartly with discounts.”

Brian continued, “I asked a seller to buy a rare bag from L-brand worth 8 million won for 3 million won. Isn’t 3 million won extremely cheap in the eyes of people when it comes from L-brand?” and “An L-brand suitcase costs 4 million won, but I bought one for 900,000 won and gave it to a friend as a birthday gift. That’s why I say discounts are great.”

In this way, Brian displayed a contradictory attitude by proudly declaring, “I am a penny-pincher,” simply because he received discounts, despite spending huge amounts of money on luxury goods.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original