$16 million apartment, no biggie: Singaporean businessman David Yong flaunts wealth in Netflix's Super Rich in Korea

Four-storey villa in Singapore with a private lift, 11 cars in four different countries, travelling on private jet to save time.

That's what local businessman David Yong flaunted in Netflix's new six-episode reality show Super Rich in Korea.

"I graduated from Bristol University in the UK, I'm a lawyer by training," he said. "My family has been doing business in Asia for more than three generations, from timber, to real estate, to finance.

"For myself, I run an investment company."

The 37-year-old added that he came to South Korea three years ago to invest in the entertainment scene, including S$10.2 million into entertainment agency Attrakt, which ran auditions for its girl group Fifty Fifty in Singapore back in March.

David isn't new to the limelight either, having released his first K-pop single In My Pocket in 2022, then Maybe Love with Moonbyul of K-pop girl group Mamamoo last April, and the dance track Dripping with South Korean performer DJ Soda last August.

His company, Evergreen Group Holdings, is also the co-organiser for Waterbomb Singapore.

David has been living in the luxury hotel and residential building Signiel Seoul and took the cameras — and his friend, Italian Teodoro Marani or Teo — through a tour of his apartment.

"The deposit is 500 million won (S$500,000) and the rent is 20 million won," he said. "It's not that much, no big deal."

While Teo, son of the CEO of luxury line Henry Beguelin, said that David was a "great guy, great friend", he showed distaste towards him having a money-counting machine in the living room, while the hosts of the show — Got7's BamBam, Cho Sae-ho and Oh My Girl member Mimi — were baffled by David ordering room service where eggs cost 19,000 won.

"I'm actually shocked at how David doesn't seem to care," Sae-ho, 41, said.

Mimi, 29, remarked: "He said he travels on a private jet to save time. Wouldn't it be faster to make an egg himself instead of waiting for room service?"

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David and Teo's friendship appears to be one where David is spontaneous and Teo is more frugal and thoughtful, which showed in episodes two and three when David — who deemed his apartment too small — went to look at a place in the La Terrasse Hannam, where a property agent said Blackpink's Jennie also owns an apartment.

With David's budget being an eye-watering 16 billion won and the apartment coming in at just that price, he was ready to give the property agent his black card and purchase it immediately, but Teo stopped him.

"It's ridiculous," Teo said about the cost of the apartment in an interview, while David didn't think it was a "bad price".

David also checked out a penthouse apartment at Raemian One Bailey Apartments, and again Teo had to stop him from making an immediate purchase — while also flirtatiously giving the property agent his business card and asking her to contact him if David bought it too rashly.

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'That Chanel brooch was looking at me instead of him'

The difference in personality between David and Teo was on display once again in the fourth episode when they went on double blind dates.

Though Teo said he was there to support David who "needs to find a good girl", he was the one who charmed the two women — Georgian Sally and Korean Hyun-ji — instead.

David arrived late and his friend, model Lee Sa-bi — who introduced the men to the women and helped David dress up for the date — asked him to "hand over his Chanel brooch".

The bling didn't seem to win over the women on the date either, as Hyun-ji said in an interview: "When I looked at David, it felt like that Chanel brooch was looking at me instead of him."

Teo ended up scoring a second date with Hyun-ji with his charms — saying he liked smart girls instead of sexy and cute, and pouring wine for the women.

However, David missed out despite sharing that he runs an investment business, sings and is a lawyer and telling the women that Singaporean men are "really good to their girlfriends".

"Teo is someone who's like centralised air-conditioning," David said in an interview. "He was nice to the real estate agent, he was nice to the girls on the blind date, he'll probably be nice to the older ladies who work at restaurants.

"That's what playboys do."

"Sorry, David," Teo said in a separate interview.

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Viewers of Super Rich in Korea, ranked second in the list of top 10 TV shows in Singapore as of writing, were divided on their opinion of David.

"David is so tacky and has no game. Money buys no class," said a Redditor.

"Old money who behaves like new money," a netizen on X noted. "Urgently needs an intervention because his current style is quite gaudy."

Another X user wrote: "That guy David is really hard to watch."

However, some were sympathetic and found him entertaining.

"David is using money to hide his vulnerability in social situations and hope success will help him earn friends," a Redditor wrote. "He looks sweet but he is lacking self-awareness and confidence."

"Teo is a turn-off to be frank," an X user wrote. "Initially disliked David but over the show have grown to like him."

Another posted: "David will definitely be my favourite character. I love him."

Other than David and Teo, the show also features Aren Yoo, a client ambassador for luxury brands in South Korea, Pakistani noble and trade company CEO Anna Kim and Noor Naim, an Iraqi-American businesswoman and content creator with over 50 million combined followers on social media.

Super Rich in Korea streams on Netflix.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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