Lee Tae-sung boasts of son's academic success: "He's never missed ranking 1st"

Actor Lee Tae-sung revealed his grown son, showing off both his deep fatherly love and his son's outstanding academic performance.

On the August 8 broadcast of MBN's 'Dongchimi,' Lee appeared alongside Shim Hyun-seop, Yoon Hyung-bin, Noh Sa-yeon, and Kim Jang-hoon to share various stories from their lives.

During the episode, Lee confessed to the financial hardships he faced due to contract fraud during his acting career. Having debuted in 2003, he experienced the early stages of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) phenomenon when he began activities in Japan in 2005. While his films shot in Japan received positive responses and allowed him to continue his activities there, he unexpectedly fell victim to contract fraud.

Lee explained the situation at the time, saying, "Back then, there was a lack of protection for artists. There were many cases where companies disappeared without paying the appearance fees."

Even after having a son in 2011, the situation was not easy. Lee revealed that he faced significant financial burdens, especially as he enlisted in the military around the time his son turned two, coinciding with an atmosphere where actors faced restrictions on their activities after marriage and childbirth.

In particular, after finishing filming a 50-episode drama, he enlisted and revealed that he only received a portion of his appearance fees during his military service. He recalled, "I thought I could hold out for about 21 months, but I only received 20 to 30% of my appearance fees. At that time, even a soldier's monthly salary was in the 100,000 won range."

Ultimately, he had to endure by using card loans. This was compounded by injunctions against his appearances and the seizure of his bank accounts, making daily life extremely difficult. Lee confessed that he had to live in a public bathhouse (jjimjilbang), saying, "Even though I was the one who was defrauded, I had to stand as a guarantor. Even my house had seizure notices attached."

Fortunately, toward the end of his military service, he received an offer to appear in a drama, which provided the opportunity to resume his acting career.

As much as the financial difficulties, what was harder for Lee was the fact that he could not fully witness his son's growth process.

He said, "One day, he suddenly started walking and running toward me. I wondered, 'Did I even have a child?'" He added, "I think my mother showed my drama clips to my son. That is how she helped my son remember me."

He also expressed feelings of guilt, recalling a moment when his son seemed to have matured much earlier than his peers.

Lee shared an anecdote about visiting a toy department store with his son on Christmas. At the time, while looking at the large toys on display, his son chose a relatively small toy. Lee initially thought, "My son has matured early," but when he shared the story with friends, they told him, "That is a sad story. At that age, they should be throwing tantrums and lying down in the mart."

At that moment, he was shocked by the thought that his son might have become an adult too early.

That same son has now grown into a third-year middle school student. And he has become another source of pride for Lee.

Regarding his son's appearance, Lee emphasized that they are "spitting images" of each other, saying, "If I show him my photos from when I was a baby, he says it's him. We look exactly alike."

On top of that, his academic performance is also outstanding. Lee could not hide his pride for his son, stating, "He told me he has never missed being ranked 1st in his entire school."

For Lee, who has lived with the guilt of not being able to properly watch his son grow during difficult times, the fact that his son has grown up to be a model student who looks just like him and consistently ranks 1st in school carries a profound meaning.

For the father and son who have passed through economic trials and times of absence, the fact that they now resemble one another has become a special gift above all else.