Seo In-young addresses 10 billion won spending rumors: "I spent 200 million won a month on shopping"

Singer Seo In-young has opened up about her past, revealing how she poured the massive income she earned during Jewelry's heyday into shopping. She confessed that despite having significant earnings, her bank account was depleted because she spent approximately 200 million won per month. Behind these extravagant spending habits lay a desire to create her own star image through fashion during a time when her recognition was not yet high.

In a video released on the 9th on her YouTube channel 'Gaegwacheonseon Seo In-young,' Seo met with (G)I-DLE's Soyeon to discuss her new album preparations. As the conversation turned to financial management, Seo reflected on her past spending habits, revealing that her father has currently taken away her credit cards.

Soyeon brought up the so-called '10 billion won income depletion rumors' surrounding Seo that had been known through various broadcasts, asking if she had spent a large amount of money on company operations or businesses. Seo's answer was unexpected. She stated, "No. I spent it on shopping. Even if you earn money, if you keep spending 200 million won a month, you have nothing left despite earning it. My account became empty."

When Soyeon expressed shock, asking, "Isn't it not easy to spend 200 million won?" Seo elicited laughter by retorting, "Is it hard to spend 200 million won?" It was a moment where the two's spending tendencies diverged sharply. Soyeon mentioned that she doesn't have many things she wants to buy and mostly spends on things like delivery food, to which Seo replied, "You and I are not a match," continuing her characteristic blunt way of speaking.

It is difficult to explain Seo's reason for pouring large sums into fashion in the past as mere luxury. She explained, "Since I didn't have recognition from the start, I had the thought that I would beat everyone else through clothes," adding, "So I spent all my money." This means she utilized fashion not as a consumer good, but as a form of self-branding to imprint herself on the public.

After debuting as a member of Jewelry in 2002, Seo helped build the team's representative personality and style through hits like 'I Really Like You,' 'Superstar,' and 'One More Time.' In particular, her intense makeup, bold outfits, unique way of speaking, and stage performances served as elements that differentiated her from the uniform images of girl groups at the time.

On this day, she also revealed behind-the-scenes stories regarding Jewelry's hit songs. Regarding 'One More Time,' she confessed that there were views from those around her predicting failure, and she herself did not like the choreography at first. She recalled that for 'I Really Like You,' she hated the song so much that she thought she would open a nail salon if it failed, but it ultimately became a huge success. Consequently, the songs she had doubted actually became Jewelry's representative hits.

These experiences connect to the paradoxes that have repeatedly appeared in Seo's life as a star. Songs she was not satisfied with became hits, and the fashion she consumed to the point of being considered excessive ultimately became part of the image imprinted on the public. While the spending at that time may have been economically unreasonable, it functioned to a certain extent in the process of building her identity as a star.

However, the large-scale spending did not lead to long-term asset formation. As Seo herself expressed by saying her "account became empty," it reveals that high income and asset accumulation do not necessarily lead to the same result. Especially since an entertainer's income is highly volatile depending on their period of activity and the success of their works, her confession holds more meaning than a simple entertainment industry episode, as it highlights the importance of financial management to convert high cash flow during one's heyday into sustainable assets.

Recently, through her YouTube channel, Seo is reorganizing the direction of her activities by relatively honestly revealing her past glamorous image and trial and error. Her appearance asking Soyeon for help with her new song work is also interpreted as a process of preparing for a new musical start, rather than remaining only in the star image of her Jewelry days.

To the public who remembers Seo at her peak, the confession of '200 million won monthly shopping' may sound shocking. However, the core of the story she revealed directly is not simply that she spent a lot of money. It is that she tried to make up for her lack of recognition through fashion, and the image built that way eventually became a part of the star Seo In-young. The past, created between glamorous consumption and reckless spending, and between self-expression and luxury, is now becoming the subject of Seo's most honest self-reflection.