Dispatch Reveals Actor Owing Millions in Unpaid Bills

Lee Jang Woo is facing controversy over unpaid supplier bills at his sundae soup restaurant.

The drama started when a meat distributor, known only as A, claimed Lee Jang Woo owes him about ₩64.0 million KRW (around $42,900 USD) for ingredients. A said payments have been delayed for over a year and the debt kept piling up since the restaurant opened in November 2023.

A said he met Lee Jang Woo personally before the opening in Cheonan and initially payments were normal. But soon after, payments became irregular and sometimes didn’t come at all.

“I trusted him because he is a celebrity and waited, but payments have been delayed for over a year. He would repay ₩2.00 million KRW (about $1,340 USD) while ordering ingredients worth ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,350 USD), so the debt kept piling up.”
– Meat distributor A

In January 2025, A sent a direct message to Lee Jang Woo demanding payment. A former staff member who is a friend of Lee Jang Woo promised to pay ₩2.00 million KRW monthly but apparently didn’t keep the promise.

Dispatch couldn’t reach Lee Jang Woo’s longtime friend and alleged CEO, B. But another acquaintance, C, said this:

“Lee Jang Woo is not related to the sundae soup restaurant. Friend B was the CEO.”

Restaurant officials also said Lee Jang Woo was never a co-CEO:

“It’s believed that Lee Jang Woo is co-CEO, but that’s not true. He only took some of the profits for about two months after the opening. Now it’s operating at a loss, so he doesn’t take any share. He only participated briefly at the start to help a friend and has had no involvement since.”

A fired back:

“When the pig’s head was boiled on broadcast, it was his store. When the debts piled up, it was run by a friend? I delivered goods based on Lee Jang Woo. I don’t want to know the internal situation of the store. I just want the overdue money paid quickly.”

The case is heating up as Lee Jang Woo’s role is now in question, and unpaid bills keep growing.