Gossip mill: Kim Jong-kook loses millions to scam, Julie Tan hospitalised for food allergy, Tank's poor health at concert stirs controversy
PHOTO: Instagram/Kim Jong-kook, Instagram/Julie Tan, Weibo/Tank
PUBLISHED ONJune 12, 2024 3:07 AMByYeo Shu HuiKim Jong-kook lost millions to scam
Anybody can be vulnerable to scams, but it takes guts to publicly admit you've been a victim.
South Korean star Kim Jong-kook, 48, revealed in the latest episode of variety show My Little Old Boy, aired on June 9, that he once fell prey to an investment scam.
In the episode, Jong-kook, actor Choi Jin-hyuk and singer-songwriter Lee Sang-min were discussing their views on money, when Jin-hyuk, 38, said that he received a lot of messages about moneylending and investments recently.
Sang-min, 50, asked Jong-kook if he had been scammed before.
"I have been scammed many times before," Jong-kook admitted, much to the surprise of his two friends.
He shared he was motivated to invest after hearing discussions about it from people around him.
"I thought hard about it and invested my money, a few billion won, into one place," Jong-kook said, only to realise later that he couldn't get them back.
One billion won converts to S$980,000 currently.
After the experience, he learnt not to be tempted by easy ways to earn money, adding that he doesn't look into these things anymore.
Julie Tan hospitalised for food allergy
Local actress Julie Tan was recently hospitalised due to a serious food allergy.
In an Instagram Story on June 10, the 31-year-old shared two photos of herself with an IV drip inserted into her hand.
She wrote in the caption: "While in Hong Kong, I developed a food allergy. My face and body were swelling, but luckily my throat did not swell. I went to a hospital in Hong Kong, received an injection, and managed to keep my condition under control.
"When I came back to Singapore, I was admitted to the hospital immediately. All is good now, and I have been discharged! I can't wait to be fully recovered."
Tank's poor health at concert stirs controversy
Taiwanese singer Tank recently came under fire for his comeback concert in Taipei on June 8 when he felt unwell early on during the show while singing his signature hit, Personal Angel.
In video clips released online, the 42-year-old, who is also known as Lv Jianzhong, was trying to hit the high notes of the song when he clutched at his chest and looked breathless. During the chorus, he pointed his microphone at the audience for them to sing on his behalf.
Speaking to the audience later, he said that he was happy to be able to hold his own concert again in Taipei after many years.
"There were many opportunities, but it was difficult for me to step out… There were many years that I wasn't able to stand on stage to sing due to various reasons, and the first reason is because I was unwell."
Tank also sang Mavis Hee's Moonlight In The City during his concert. Although he told the audience to help him sing at the beginning of the song, he managed to complete most of it by himself in the end.
Last September, Tank revealed in Chinese music variety show Time Concert that he has a family history of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and myocardial hypertrophy (thickening of the heart muscle).
He shared that he had a heart attack in 2007 and had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator surgically placed in 2009 to regulate his heartbeat.
While some fans were happy about Tank's return, there were others who blasted him on social media after the concert.
A netizen wrote: "Nobody would begin their concert by showing their weakness to gain pity in the first song, and most of the song Personal Angel was sung by the fans… It's not that I can't understand you are unwell, but to put it bluntly, your comeback is to gain pity and earn money. I bought it, but your product is obviously substandard."
In response to the criticisms, Tank's manager told Star.Setn in a report published on June 10 that they will accept the feedback.
"The audience's criticisms are all feedback of their personal subjective feelings. Tank is willing to humbly accept and seriously review the opinions," they said.