On the Aug. 8 episode of MBC’s reality show 'I Live Alone,' Gu shared that his home suffered leaks during a downpour and showed himself waterproofing the roof and re-papering the bedroom.
Then, on Aug. 12, a media outlet reported that Gu was the “owner” of the entire small apartment building (often called a “villa” in Korea), claiming he had been gifted his roughly 860-square-foot unit and the six units below by his father. The report contrasted that with past comments that he wasn’t the owner and paid monthly rent, accusing him of “acting broke.”
As the debate heated up, Gu posted a video on his YouTube channel to set the record straight.
“After the episode aired, I kept getting, ‘Why didn’t you have the landlord handle the roof? Why are you doing the wallpaper yourself?’ Every time I’m on TV, it turns into, ‘Are you the owner? How many buildings do you have?’ This will be the first and last time I address it,” he began.
Gu clarified, “The building belongs to my father. In 2021 or 2022, I was gifted one half of it. Of course I paid the required gift tax. I didn’t spell out my family’s private situation on television―it felt awkward and too personal―and I didn’t expect it to snowball like this.” He added, “For the record, the interior space is around 645 square feet. Including some exterior area, it’s closer to about 710 square feet. Those are the facts.”
“What bugs me most is the claim that I ‘acted broke,’” he continued. “I’ve never gone on a show pretending to be poor. Why would I? I spend what I need to while filming, I eat well, I enjoy my life. There’s no reason for me to put on an ‘I’m broke’ act. I didn’t think I needed to get into all this, but as the chatter grew, I decided to speak up.”
He also explained why the gift happened. “In 2020 or 2021, my father―he’s a national merit honoree―underwent gamma knife treatment on his brain and, as a side effect, developed sudden dementia. That’s when he gifted me that half of the multi-unit building. As his health declined, I ended up taking care of things like roof maintenance,” he said.
“That’s all there is to it―nothing more,” Gu emphasized. “My dad spent his whole life working and rebuilt the family home we grew up in into this small apartment building.”
Gu apologized for fueling confusion. “My vague answers made room for misunderstandings, and I’m sorry for that. It wasn’t intentional―I just don’t love talking about my personal finances in public. Please don’t read more into it.”
He concluded, “I pay rent to my father at the end of every month. The gift happened early because of his health, and the rent gets paid regularly.”
[Photo: Gu Sung-hwan’s YouTube video]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)