“With that money, I could have bought half of Gwangju”: Lee Jong-beom says he emptied his savings repaying his father’s debts

Former baseball star Lee Jong-beom said he spent all the money he earned during his prime years repaying his father's debts, leaving his bank balance at zero when he married.

Lee made the disclosure on the tvN STORY entertainment program “What Are You Going to Leave Behind?”, which aired on the 7th. He appeared as a guest alongside former footballer Lee Dong-gook.

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I earned the money, while my father handled the social side of things. He made requests that could not even be mentioned on television, and it was really difficult.

Recalling that period, Lee said, “I earned the money, while my father handled the social side of things. He made requests that could not even be mentioned on television, and it was really difficult.” He said he used the contract payment he received from his club to settle his father's debts, surprising Lee Young-ja and Park Se-ri.

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I am not smiling. Even when I got married, I had no money in my account. I started earning money after going to Japan, but after paying debts and giving money away, I had nothing.

“I am not smiling,” Lee said. “Even when I got married, I had no money in my account. I started earning money after going to Japan, but after paying debts and giving money away, I had nothing.”

Lee joined the Haitai Tigers in 1992. His signing bonus and salary totaled 82 million won. He said that would be worth about 1 billion to 2 billion won today, adding, “With that kind of money, I could have bought half of Gwangju.” He then said discussing his family situation felt absurd and that speaking about it made him feel sorry for his wife.

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With that kind of money, I could have bought half of Gwangju.