Shim Hyung-rae, Who Had 17.9 Billion Won in Debt and Went Bankrupt, Gave a YouTube Writer a Chanel Bag... “I Listed Them All on Karrot”—Baffling

[Financial News] A joke by comedian and film director Shim Hyung-rae’s YouTube writer that they had listed a luxury bag he gave them for resale has sparked controversy among netizens.
A video titled “I Went to the Jayang-dong Beer Festival, Met Lifelong Die-Hard Fans, and Got Choked Up” was recently uploaded to the YouTube channel “Younggu TV.”
The video shows Shim Hyung-rae attending a beer festival held in Jayang-dong, Gwangjin District, Seoul, with colleagues.
As he toured the market and set out to help revive local businesses, he recalled why he often visited the market, saying, “I loved coming here when I was young. Back then, it was like a theme park.”
Shim Hyung-rae later visited a clothing store next to the festival stage, where the noise could disrupt business, and encouraged the writer accompanying him to pick out something they liked.
The writer picked up a T-shirt priced at 99,000 won and asked, “What do you think of this?” Shim Hyung-rae joked, “You picked an expensive one. Go ahead and buy that one. Last time you bought one that cost 20,000 won, so why are you buying one for 90,000 won today?” Even so, he readily handed his card to the owner.
The writer drew attention by boasting, “This is the most expensive thing Director Shim Hyung-rae has bought me since the Chanel bag,” and adding, “The director bought me the Chanel bag, too.”
His colleagues asked, “Where do you keep all the things he buys you?” The writer quipped, “I listed them all on Karrot.”
Shim Hyung-rae also told the producer who was with them, “Pick something out and I’ll buy it for you.” The producer said, “That’s okay,” but then joked, “Buy me a Chanel bag, too,” leaving Shim Hyung-rae flustered.
The video has drawn attention as Shim Hyung-rae’s past financial struggles following business failures have come back into focus.
Shim Hyung-rae has said he took on enormous debt while pursuing business ventures, including film production. He previously disclosed that he had 17.9 billion won in debt, and in 2013 a court declared him bankrupt.
It has not been confirmed whether the writer actually listed the items Shim Hyung-rae gave them for resale, but some netizens responded, “What do you mean, you put a Chanel bag you got as a gift on Karrot?” “There’s a line even when you’re joking.” “That doesn’t seem like something to say in front of the person who bought it for you.” “Do you see Shim Hyung-rae as your personal ATM?”
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter