Former KBS announcer and broadcaster Kim Byeong-chan revealed that he suffered significant losses after being defrauded by an acquaintance in the past.
On the 25th, a video titled ‘Legendary Announcer Kim Byeong-chan Was Defrauded of Hundreds of Millions?’ was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Clemak Time’. In the video, Kim Byeong-chan candidly shared the circumstances that led him to become a freelancer and the incident he experienced at that time.
Kim Byeong-chan recalled, “A close senior whom I trusted enough to leave my family with suggested that we invest in the Cheongju express bus terminal acquisition project,” adding, “I lent him several hundred million won without any suspicion.” He further mentioned, “I was able to do this because I had earned money while working as an announcer.”
However, the situation gradually worsened. He confessed, “The senior kept spending money elsewhere,” and “Eventually, I had to sell my house to inject funds.”
Kim Byeong-chan stated that this incident was one of the reasons he decided to stop his announcer activities and focus on business. He explained, “The scale of the business was really large.”
He later took on the role of CEO, revealing, “At that time, the amount borrowed from the bank was over 40 billion won,” which drew surprise. Fortunately, the business was saved when a foundation chairman from Cheongju acquired it. Kim Byeong-chan expressed his gratitude, saying, “I was able to survive because that chairman took over the company that was suffering from capital erosion.” He also mentioned that the business was later completed with a scale of about 700 billion won.
When asked if he had recovered his investment, Kim Byeong-chan replied, “I essentially gave up,” stating, “I was not in a position to assert my rights, and I was just grateful that someone took on the company that was suffering from capital erosion.”
Kim Byeong-chan joined KBS as a public announcer in 1990 and has worked on various programs such as ‘Entertainment Weekly’, ‘Quiz Exploration: The Mysterious World’, and ‘Love Request’. He has been active as a freelance broadcaster since leaving the company in 2006.
