Kim Soo Hyun‘s January 2024 purchase of three units in Seoul’s ultra-luxury Galleria Forêt residential complex in Seongdong District is once again making headlines.
The acquisition price was approximately 17 billion KRW (approximately 12 million USD), with the current real estate market value estimated at 30 billion KRW. Experts speculate that had he diversified his investments instead of buying three apartments, he could have saved more than 7 billion KRW in taxes—the same amount he and his agency demanded from the late Kim Sae Ron.
In January 2024, Kim Soo Hyun purchased a 297-square-meter penthouse in Galleria Forêt for 8.8 billion KRW (approximately 6.1 million USD). Previously, the actor had acquired another 297-square-meter penthouse in October 2013 for 4.002 billion KRW. He added a third unit—a 231-square-meter apartment—in October 2014 for 3.02 billion KRW.
The current market price for Galleria Forêt is reported to be around 1 billion KRW per 3.3 square meters, putting the total value of his holdings at roughly 25-30 billion KRW.
Owning three units within the same complex subjects the owner to heavy capital gains taxation upon sale. A real estate insider commented, “There’s no reason to own three expensive apartments like this. It would be much better to diversify investments into buildings, savings accounts, or stocks,” adding, “The potential tax savings would have been at least 10 billion KRW.”
This context has led to criticism of Kim Soo Hyun’s demand that Kim Sae Ron repay 700 million KRW (approximately 483,000 USD). Kim Soo Hyun sent a legal notice to Kim Sae Ron in March 2024—the same year as his third Galleria Forêt purchase—demanding full repayment of the debt.
The 700 million KRW mentioned in the legal notice was reportedly a damage compensation cost demanded by Studio N, the production company for Netflix’s Bloodhounds, which Kim Sae Ron was filming before her DUI accident. The amount had initially been a staggering 7 billion KRW before being reduced to 700 million KRW after much pleading—still a substantial sum for an actress who had lost her acting opportunities.
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