“The master was like an ATM machine”… Kim Byung-man, the Jungle of Divorce

[Dispatch = Reporters Ji-ho Kim and Da-eun Kim] July 30, 2019. Ms. S received a notification message. The sender was KB Bank. The message said that the ‘digital certificate has been changed.’ (Ms. S is Byung-man Kim’s ex-wife.)

“Ms. S was managing Byung-man Kim’s financial assets. She had the digital certificate and OTP card. She was also receiving financial notifications. This is how she knew about the reissue of the certificate.” (Byung-man Kim’s side)

When Byung-man Kim took action, his ex-wife Ms. S became urgent. She immediately went to SC First Bank. She forged a bank transfer request and moved 487.51 million won from Kim’s account to hers.

Ms. S accessed other bank accounts too. She started transferring before (Byung-man Kim) could reach other banks. She withdrew 186.5 million won from Shinhan Bank, Korea Development Bank, KakaoBank, and others.

On August 2, 2019, Byung-man Kim visited another bank. However, he was a step too late. The money was already gone. According to ‘Dispatch,’ the total amount transferred from Kim’s account to Ms. S’s account was 674.02 million won.

Nearly 700 million won was moved in just a day without (Byung-man Kim’s) permission. And the shocking news Kim heard at the bank counter: even at that moment, Ms. S was withdrawing cash from ATMs.

“The teller informed him, ‘Cash is being withdrawn from your account right now.’ During the divorce proceedings, Ms. S withdrew nearly 100 million won at a time, taking 3 million won per transaction at ATMs.” (Attorney Sa-ra Im, Byung-man Kim’s legal representative)

‘Dispatch’ has uncovered the details of Byung-man Kim and Ms. S’s divorce. They analyzed the reasons behind Kim’s decision to divorce and the court’s judgment through documents and verdicts. Did it start with love? The conclusion was all about money, money, money.

◆ His First Marriage, Her Third

In 2009, Byung-man Kim was gaining fame for ‘Master’ (Gag Concert). Ms. S was, in fact, a fan. She was active in Kim’s fan club and showed her affection through several fan letters.

Byung-man Kim didn’t mind Ms. S’s interest. Coincidentally, they were neighbors. They exchanged letters, growing closer. Then Ms. S made a suggestion: “Should I introduce a good woman to you?”

The two met offline for the first time through the ‘blind date’ suggestion. But at the meeting point, there was no one. Only Ms. S was there. Kim asked, “When is the woman for the blind date coming?”

At that moment, Ms. S’s reply captured Kim’s heart. “I planned to introduce myself to you.” Kim burst out laughing. His heart opened, and they developed a romantic relationship.

Ms. S is seven years older than Kim Byung-man. She had been married twice and had a young daughter. Nevertheless, Kim accepted her as his wife. They registered their marriage on January 5, 2010.

However, they did not have a wedding ceremony. It was Kim’s first marriage but Ms. S’s third. This was a form of consideration. Moreover, Kim added Ms. S’s daughter to his family registry, formally adopting her as his child.

◆ Marriage Turned into Hell

The love didn’t last long. According to Kim’s side, Ms. S’s possessiveness was the cause. Kim’s side stated, “He was busy with many schedules. If contact was lost, she would call staff members and interfere.”

In the divorce filing, Kim said, “Making people laugh is my job, but I fought with Ms. S every day. Each day felt like living in hell.” He added that he effectively began living apart only a year into the marriage.

The official separation is presumed to have started in December 2014. Kim’s side noted, “Since 2016, there was nearly no contact. We communicated through a manager, and Ms. S contacted only about money matters.”

There was also significant conflict regarding asset management. After the marriage, Kim entrusted all financial management to Ms. S. The main shows he was involved in were the ‘Law of the Jungle’ series, spending most time in remote locations abroad.

Ms. S managed all of Kim’s personal seals, bankbooks, digital certificates, and OTP cards. Additionally, it is said she withdrew around 10 million won monthly under living expenses.

“Ms. S claimed she was using it for living expenses and withdrew cash monthly. Yet maintenance fees, card bills, and taxes were all drawn from (Kim’s) account. There is no way to know where she used the cash.” (Kim’s side)

◆ Who Moved the Money?

On July 30, 2019, Byung-man Kim decided to reclaim his financial control. He informed Ms. S, “I will manage the accounts under my name myself.” He indeed visited KB Bank to reissue the OTP card.

On that same day, Ms. S acted quickly. She took the bankbooks and seals and visited the bank. The money Ms. S withdrew from SC First Bank, Shinhan Bank, Korea Development Bank, and others amounted to 674.02 million won.

‘Dispatch’ verified Kim’s income tax certificate (from 2011 to 2020). He earned 12.56 billion won over the past decade, with 4.40 billion won paid in taxes.

However, during divorce proceedings, the disclosed joint net assets of the couple (including appraised real estate value and expected cash surrender value of insurance) amounted to 4.96 billion won. This implies over 3 billion won was spent in the past 10 years.

Kim’s side explained, “Ms. S refused to return control of finances despite the divorce. There were too many accounts, with multiple bankbooks and credit cards for both Kim and Ms. S, making it impossible to pinpoint the details.”

Detailing an example of Ms. S’s fluctuating deposit balance: On August 1, 2019, her account had 2.008 billion won. Yet, by 14 January 2021, her account balance was 1.109 billion won.

“Around August 2020, S issued 95 million won in 4 promissory notes. She also issued a 50 million won check and three 1 million won checks. There is no trace of where this money went.” (Kim’s side)

◆ The War over Asset Division Began

On August 3, 2020, Byung-man Kim filed for divorce and the division of property against Ms. S. He also filed a damages suit for the unauthorized transfer of 674.02 million won.

Three months later, Ms. S submitted a response. She stated, “There are many false allegations in (Kim’s claims). There are numerous misunderstandings regarding asset management, which are regrettable and upsetting,” and expressed her unwillingness to divorce.

“I sincerely love Byung-man Kim and do not want a divorce. I wish to amicably resolve this through dialogue and restore our marital relationship, so I kindly request the court to dismiss all claims.” (November 9, 2020, Ms. S’s response)

Then, Ms. S changed her mind. In April 2021, she submitted a counterclaim. She also claimed 100 million won in alimony, suddenly alleging habitual assault by Kim and attributing the cause of divorce to him.

On December 1, 2022, the Seoul Family Court’s 5th Division ruled in the first trial. The court held, “The marriage relationship between the two has already lost affection and trust and has irreparably broken down.”

The property division ratio was set at 75% for Byung-man Kim and 25% for Ms. S. The court ordered that half of the jointly owned real estate title be transferred to Kim, the insurance policyholder name be changed to Kim, and nearly 1 billion won be repaid.

Ms. S appealed. However, her appeal was also dismissed in the appeals court (May 25, 2023). She filed for a further appeal, which the Supreme Court rejected, finalizing the divorce on September 7, 2023.

◆ Claim of Assault, Yet He Wasn’t in Korea

The court’s decision was summarized:

“The two did not resolve their conflicts through dialogue, communication, and compromise, nor understood the other’s situation and position to try and mend relations. The responsibility for the marital breakdown lies equally with both parties.”

“Ms. S claimed habitual assault since early marriage and sought alimony. However, the evidence provided by Ms. S insufficiently proves Byung-man Kim’s assault. The court does not accept Ms. S’s argument.” (Court ruling)

However, Ms. S did not stop. In February, she filed a complaint against Byung-man Kim for injury, assault, and rape, testifying that she was beaten over 30 times from March 2010 to June 2019.

Ms. S even gave interviews, saying, “I feel so resentful and wronged. I was habitually beaten,” adding, “My daughter witnessed the beatings four times. He was extremely cruel.”

The police did not accept Ms. S’s claim. It was because Byung-man Kim was abroad on the days Ms. S claimed assault, even during the alleged date of rape, he was filming overseas.

“The police attached a non-prosecutorial opinion on the assault charge. There were no grounds to conclude the accusations. Cross-referencing the precise dates given by Ms. S with Byung-man Kim’s travel records revealed no match.” (Attorney)

◆ My Dad, Byung-man Kim?

Ms. S presented her daughter as a witness to the assault, claiming, “My daughter witnessed the assault four times.” However, the ‘statement of facts’ the daughter submitted to the family court tells a different story.

“Dad was proud of my height since he was short. He always smiled at me, showed me comedy, and tried to do anything for me. He even bickered with mom over doing too much for me.”

She described Byung-man Kim as an ‘appreciated person.’

“When he called mom, his first words were always, ‘How is OO?’ Even when calling from abroad, he asked, ‘Have you grown taller?’ When he came home, he would first and loudly call out my name and immediately measure my height.”

“I am a fan of a certain idol, and every time there was a concert, he would contact that idol’s agency head to get me the best seat, even assigning a manager to accompany me, while he took a taxi.”

“He truly did his best for me. He raised me well and bestowed great love and grace upon me for a long time. Father Byung-man Kim is truly an appreciated person.” (Statement of Facts, March 28, 2022)

◆ It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

Byung-man Kim’s sole wish is to sever ties with Ms. S. He had to file a lawsuit to annul the adoption. (The result was Kim’s loss, as Ms. S’s daughter didn’t consent to the annulment.)

Ms. S presented a strange calculation regarding her daughter’s disinheritance. She proposed a settlement stating, “I’ll write a disinheritance consent document in exchange for not receiving any property division from Kim Byung-man.”

Byung-man Kim’s side refused. Attorney Sa-ra Im explained, “It was a demand to waive about 1.8 billion won (asset division 1 billion + unauthorized withdrawal 670 million + real estate 200 million) according to 1st trial judgment.”

The divorce suit between Byung-man Kim and Ms. S has concluded. They are, legally, strangers. However, many things remain entangled. Most importantly, the insurance policies (secretly signed by Ms. S) need to be transferred.

“Byung-man Kim filed lawsuits against three insurance companies for policy cancellations, collections, and name changes. If Ms. S had cooperated willingly, there would have been no reason for these lawsuits.” (Attorney)

The love has ended, but the war has not. He still needs to reclaim an additional 500 million won from the property division. The process of annulling his adoption of the daughter must be completed. The assessment of habitual assault by the prosecution remains.

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