SM Entertainment Founder Lee Soo Man Reportedly Gave His Journalist Girlfriend A S$6mil Apartment

SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man, 69, has made headlines for reportedly giving his 52-year-old journalist girlfriend a 5bil won (approximately S$6mil) apartment.

Located in the upmarket Cheongdam district, the 2,114 sq ft unit is believed to have been gifted to the reporter in March.

Soo Man's girlfriend has been identified by the media as a Korean who is working in the Seoul branch of a North American broadcast company.

Netizens initially wondered if Soo Man’s lavish gift was illegal as South Korea's Improper Solicitation and Graft Act states that public officials, including journalists, are not allowed to accept gifts even if they are not accompanied by “payments, offers, or promises to pay or provide money or a thing of value”.

However, as his girlfriend is working for a foreign media company, there have been no violations of this law.

Korean news outlet Seoul Economy news said in a report that Soo Man and the unnamed reporter’s relationship is an open secret, and that the pair has lived together for a number of years.

The mogul has yet to comment on the reports of his generous gift and on his relationship.

Soo Man's wife passed away in September 2014, less than two years after she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. At that time, it was reported that he had stayed by her side “day and night from the moment her cancer was discovered to the moment she passed away”.

SM Entertainment is one of the biggest entertainment agencies in South Korea and is home to acts such as Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and EXO.

Photos: PBE Media, EDaily News, Naver