Jo Soo-bin, a broadcaster for a comprehensive programming channel, faced criticism after a video showcasing the apartment move-in process of a junior colleague in Banpo was labeled as an unrealistic portrayal of financial technology, leading to its eventual deletion.
On July 26, Jo Soo-bin TV released a video titled "A New Apartment in Banpo Bought with Savings." The video featured Jo visiting her junior colleague's home and inquiring about the process of moving into the new apartment.
In the video, Jo stated, "The salary of a broadcaster isn't that high," and asked, "You were dual-income, right? Was there any helpful method to buy the Banpo new construction move-in rights in a short time?"
The junior colleague replied, "I saved up," and when Jo inquired about stock investments or cryptocurrencies, the response was, "I didn't do that."
However, shortly after the video was released, viewers pointed out that the funding process was not realistically explained.
One viewer commented, "Even conservatively estimating the purchase price at 1.6 billion won, a down payment of 160 million won and at least 900 to 1 billion won in additional capital would have been necessary. Considering acquisition taxes, brokerage fees, and additional reconstruction costs, it would have required around 1.2 billion won. It's hard to believe that this was possible solely through savings."
They added, "There must have been husband’s income, existing assets, loans, jeonse deposits, or parental support for the numbers to add up. I'm more curious about how the initial capital was secured than the claim of 'buying with savings.'"
In response, Jo Soo-bin commented, "We were dual-income, and I have worked for a long time. I invested in index funds before regulations tightened and minimized living costs. I did receive help from my parents, but it wasn't to an extraordinary level."
However, this explanation only fueled further controversy.
While the junior colleague stated in the video that she had not invested in stocks, Jo's comment about having invested in index funds raised inconsistencies.
Subsequently, Jo modified her comment, stating, "I invested in stocks while buying a house and repaying loans simultaneously, and it wasn't just simple index investing." She added, "I worked with a capable husband, and it was possible before housing prices skyrocketed. We lived extremely frugally, and my husband took on difficult jobs to build our assets. Nowadays, it seems difficult to buy a house, and people have lost their sense of ease." This content continued to attract criticism.
Following the backlash, the channel's producer issued a separate apology.
The producer stated, "In focusing on the housewarming concept, we failed to adequately convey the values and context we intended. We wanted to showcase the guest's diligent life and investment philosophy, but it was miscommunicated during editing."
However, viewers questioned, "Why is the producer apologizing instead of the guest? The issue was not the editing but the explanation."
As the controversy persisted, the video was ultimately deleted.
Online reactions included comments like, "If they had explained parental support and the actual funding structure from the beginning, no one would have complained," and "The thumbnail said 'buying with savings,' but the core source of funds was never revealed. Emphasizing savings while later adding investment and parental support is confusing," and "If you buy a house with borrowed money, paying off the loan is already tough, so the explanation of also investing is even harder to understand," and "Deleting it only erodes trust further."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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