Comedian Kim Byung-man is embroiled in a domestic violence controversy, and his legal representative, attorney Lim Sa-ra, has personally revealed the situation.

On the 13th, Kim Byung-man‘s legal representative, attorney Lim Sa-ra, appeared on the YouTube channel ‘Entertainment President Lee Jin-ho’. First, Lee Jin-ho asked how Kim Byung-man was reacting. Attorney Lim said, “I didn’t expect it at all, and I‘m very flustered and surprised. I was even more surprised because the case is in the final stages,” and explained, “I haven’t received all of the property division yet, and I was talking to the other party‘s attorney about receiving the rest until yesterday, but I didn’t know this kind of revelation would come out.”

Regarding the background of the ex-wife‘s revelation, attorney Lim said, “Personally, I think that since Kim Byung-man has recently resumed broadcasting and appeared on programs, he must have done it spontaneously after seeing that. It seems like she made an emotional revelation, and she still has unpaid debts, so I guess that will have an impact as well.”

Lee Jin-ho asked, “Is it true that you have dozens of life insurance policies?” and Attorney Lim explained, “In terms of insurance, it is also clearly stated in the divorce decree. The ex-wife had 24 insurance policies in Kim Byung-man’s name, and almost all of them were life insurance policies. They are mixed with financial investment insurance and pension insurance, but they are not much different from life insurance because the only difference is the name; when the insured dies, the insurance money goes to the beneficiary or heir.”

According to Attorney Lim, Kim Byung-man was completely unaware of the insurance policies until the divorce proceedings. “In order to proceed with the divorce case, the court orders the submission of financial transaction information to identify each other’s assets. The financial company replied to the insurance and deposits (the couple) had signed up for, and that’s how I found out,” he said.

Regarding the shock Kim Byung-man felt when he found out about the insurance, Attorney Lim said, “At the time of the divorce suit, Kim Byung-man was filming in a difficult location overseas. I think it must have been the worst feeling to go to such a remote place, thinking that someone was waiting for my death.”

In particular, most of the insurance beneficiaries under Kim Byung-man’s name were his ex-wife, and some were his ex-wife’s biological daughters and Kim Byung-man’s adopted daughters. However, the insurance beneficiaries under his ex-wife’s name were not Kim Byung-man.

Attorney Lim also explained about Kim Byung-man filing an adoption suit, saying, “The child currently listed on Kim Byung-man’s family relations register is the daughter his ex-wife had with her ex-husband,” and “Kim Byung-man adopted his ex-wife as a biological child when he married her, but since an adoption can only be annulled through a court, he inevitably chose to file a lawsuit.”

Regarding the fact that Kim Byung-man, who had deep affection for his daughter, made this choice, Attorney Lim added, ”His daughter is now an adult and a college student, and Kim Byung-man may get married again and have children, so I think he wanted to sort things out with that future in mind.“

Regarding the theory that his ex-wife demanded 3 billion won, he said, ”At the time when the divorce was filed for adoption, the first trial of the divorce suit had already been concluded, and the ruling on the division of property had been made. Before filing for divorce, our ex-wife filed a claim for damages for money she had withdrawn from Kim Byung-man’s bank account without his consent. There was an amount that was recognized as around 670 million won.“ He added, ”The ex-wife‘s side was supposed to pay now, but we received a settlement proposal that they would agree to the adoption on the condition that they would not pay all of the money. I think that’s why the 3 billion won theory came up.“

Attorney Lim said, “Kim Byung-man’s assault on his ex-wife is groundless,” and “It was thoroughly revealed at the police stage. The evidence submitted by his ex-wife was also submitted during the divorce proceedings, and the court has already ruled out assault. We looked at it as that evidence, and in fact, it is not new evidence, so we are not surprised.”

When Lee Jin-ho asked why there was a lot of talk about the “police’s recommendation of non-indictment,” Attorney Lim said, “After the adjustment of the prosecution’s investigative authority, if it is not a case to be investigated by the police, a ‘non-indictment’ decision is made. Cases like this one are to be sent to the prosecution according to the ‘Domestic Violence Special Act.’ It has already been sent with a recommendation of non-indictment.”

Regarding the reason why Kim Byung-man and his ex-wife are claiming that they separated at different times, Attorney Lim summarized, “The verdict also acknowledges that the separation began in 2012.”

Meanwhile, in October, Kim Byung-man appeared on Channel A‘s ‘Documentary on Best Friend - Table for 4’ and said that they separated a year after their marriage in 2011 and that they divorced after a lawsuit after about 10 years of separation.

However, his ex-wife completely refuted Kim Byung-man’s statements in an interview with a media outlet, saying, ”Before Kim Byung-man filed for divorce, there was no talk of divorce or separation“ and ”We never agreed to separate, but a divorce petition came all of a sudden.“

His ex-wife also claimed that she had sued Kim Byung-man for habitual assault and domestic violence during their marriage, and that the police had sent Kim Byung-man to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors‘ Office on charges of assault in July. ”I was beaten habitually. My daughter has seen me get beaten four times. When I was good, I treated him like a princess or queen. After that, he complained, saying, “The assault was too brutal.”

However, Kim Byung-man’s agency Sky Turtle completely denied the domestic violence allegations, stating, “In the divorce suit, Ms. A claimed that Kim Byung-man assaulted her during their marriage, but the court did not accept it. Kim Byung-man was overseas at the time she claims to have been assaulted.”

Photo = Capture from YouTube channel Entertainment Twitongryong

Lee Seul-bi, Donga.com reporter misty82@donga.com