Actor Lee Tae-sung opens up about contract fraud and his son

Actor Lee Tae-sung shared updates regarding his son, who is now in his third year of middle school. Appearing on MBN's 'Dongchimi' on the 8th, Lee opened up about the period when he suffered extreme economic hardship due to contract fraud and expressed his heartfelt emotions regarding his son, who grew up far too mature for his age.

2005: Contract fraud and living in jjimjilbangs during Japanese activities

Lee, who debuted in 2003, rose to prominence through his activities in Japan in 2005 during the early stages of the Hallyu (Korean Wave). While his career progressed following the success of a film shot in Japan, he was hit by unexpected contract fraud. During an era when artist protection systems were insufficient, it was common for companies to disappear without paying appearance fees, and Lee was not exempt from this cycle.

After his son was born in 2011, Lee enlisted in the military around the time his son turned two, facing a harsh reality. At the time, the industry atmosphere made it difficult for actors in their mid-20s to maintain careers if they chose marriage and childbirth, but he was in urgent need of a livelihood. Although he enlisted while filming a 50-episode drama, the appearance fee he actually received was only about 20–30% of the scheduled amount. With soldier salaries at the time in the 100,000 won range, he had to endure his 21 months of military service using card loans.

The situation did not end there. Following applications for provisional injunctions on his appearances and the seizure of his bank accounts, seizure notices were even placed on his home. If a provisional injunction were executed during drama filming, there was a risk that recording would be halted entirely. Because he had personally provided a notarized guarantee and had to take responsibility, Lee ended up wandering from one jjimjilbang to another. Fortunately, he found a turning point when a casting offer arrived during his time as a sergeant.

"I wondered if I even had a child": A mother's effort to help her son remember his father

Lee expressed deep regret over not being able to witness his son's growth firsthand. There were moments when he only realized how much his child had grown when seeing him suddenly walk and run. He recalled, "One day, he suddenly started walking and running. I wondered, 'Did I even have a child?'"

This was thanks to his mother, who showed him drama clips to help the boy remember his father.

He could not hide his guilt regarding how his son grew up too mature too quickly. This was most evident when he took his son to toy departments on occasions like Christmas, Children's Day, or birthdays. Lee told friends how his son would pick out only small toys even after seeing much larger ones. He boasted, "He takes after me and grew up early, so he doesn't throw tantrums at the mart and just picks something small," but the reaction from his friends was sobering.

His friends shocked him by saying, "That is a sad story. Usually, four or five-year-olds are at an age where they should be lying down and crying at the mart to throw a tantrum." Although no one was forcing him to be mature, Lee's heart felt heavy knowing his son had learned to sense the atmosphere and suppress his own needs.

Identical looks and top grades: Updates on his 9th-grade son

His son, now in his third year of middle school, is Lee's pride and joy. The boy bears an identical resemblance to his father, to the point that he claims he looks exactly like Lee when shown baby photos. Lee remarked, "If I show him my photos from when I was a baby, he says it's him. We look exactly alike."

Above all, the son is also excelling academically. Lee expressed his pride, stating that his son "has never missed being ranked first in the entire school."