Song Hye Kyo Purchases A $7.5 Million Home, Netizens Respond Negatively
Song Hye Kyo recently purchased a house worth $7.5 million USD ($9 billion KRW) in the swanky Seoul district of Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu.
The luxury home is the second residence for the "Descendants of the Sun" actress, who was embroiled in an alleged tax evasion scandal in August 2014.
"Miss Song recently proceeded with purchasing another house in Samseong-dong, in addition to the house where she was originally living," said a local official, in a statement exclusively reported by Sports Seoul. "I know that it was purchased for her mother and the original price was $9 billion KRW (approximately $7.5 million USD)."
According to Seoul Sports, the residence formerly housed the president of Dong-A Pharmaceutical. The 1883 square foot premises are well-forested, with the structure encompassing three floors.
The neighborhood, which is on-par with the California enclave Beverly Hills, is one the ritziest areas in Seoul. Top stars like Rain and leading executives continue to flock to the district, adding to its appeal.
Netizens expressed their displeasure at news surrounding the real estate purchase, with top comments citing her past tax woes.
"I don't care what she's buying, as long as she's paying her taxes," said an anonymous commenter on the article, as translated by the English site, Netizenbuzz.
Another comment addressed the disparity between her alleged unpaid taxes and the cost of her second property.
"So, she has enough to buy a 9 billion won house but didn't have 2.5 billion won to pay her taxes," said another commenter, as translated by Netizenbuzz.
Song was the focus of tax evasion allegations, after an investigation by the Seoul Tax Service determined that she could not provide supporting documentation for approximately $2.5 million USD in earnings from 2009 through 2011.
"Song Hye Kyo has paid all original as well as additional taxes arising from the tax investigation two years ago," said a representative for her legal team, in a statement released in August 2014. "However, she is still deeply reflecting on her mistakes. In the future, she will take care not to let the same thing happen again, and we ask for your understanding."
Meanwhile, the 34-year-old actress will return to Korean drama on February 24 in the KBS2 action series, "Descendants of the Sun."
