• Son Ye Jin builds a massive 24.4 billion KRW building in Gangnam, but it’s been empty for months - What happened?

    Top actress Son Ye Jin made a huge real estate move by building a brand-new commercial property in one of Seoul’s busiest areas—but shockingly, the building has been sitting empty for over six months!

    According to a report by News1 on March 9, Son Ye Jin purchased an old two-story commercial building near Gangnam Station in 2022 and transformed it into a modern five-story structure by June last year. However, despite the prime location, the building hasn’t secured any tenants yet!

    In August 2022, the actress spent 22.4 billion KRW to buy the 277.7㎡ (about 84-pyeong) property near Gangnam Station (Line 2). She immediately began reconstruction, and now, the new building spans five floors above ground plus a basement level, covering a total 724㎡ (219 pyeong).

    To fund the project, Son Ye Jin reportedly took out a 15 billion KRW loan, with the building’s maximum bond amount reaching 18 billion KRW.

    Even though Gangnam Station is one of the busiest areas in Seoul, real estate experts say the high rental prices are making it hard to find tenants.

    For example, the second floor rent is around 300,000 KRW per 3.3㎡ (one pyeong). That means a 30-pyeong space would cost about 9 million KRW per month, plus an additional 1 million KRW in management fees!

    Because of these steep rental costs, industry insiders believe potential tenants are hesitant to move in, causing delays in leasing out the space.

    With the building sitting empty for months, many are wondering if Son Ye Jin will adjust the rent to attract businesses. Will she strike a deal soon and turn this investment into a huge success, or will the property remain vacant even longer? Stay tuned!

    Source (1)

  • Yook Sung Jae and Bona’s new drama ‘The Haunted Palace’ dominates Netflix charts and beats all SBS shows with double-digit ratings from the start

    SBS's new fantasy historical drama The Haunted Palace is already making waves both in South Korea and around the world.

    Starring Yook Sung Jae and Bona, the show exploded in popularity during its very first week — topping Netflix charts in multiple countries and hitting double-digit TV ratings straight out of the gate.

    On Korean television, The Haunted Palace shocked viewers with a strong start. Episode 1 pulled in a peak nationwide rating of 10.7%, instantly breaking the double-digit barrier.

    The Seoul area rating and the national average were both 9.2%, making it the highest-rated premiere of any SBS drama in 2025 so far.

    It also beat out other SBS dramas like Love Scout and Buried Hearts, and even took the #1 spot among all mini-series aired that week, showing that this drama isn’t just trending — it’s leading the pack. (According to Nielsen Korea)

    And the success didn’t stop on TV.

    As soon as The Haunted Palace dropped on Netflix, it jumped straight to #1 on “Today’s Top 10 TV Shows in South Korea”, proving its massive popularity on streaming platforms.

    Globally, it also ranked #1 in the TV series category in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, showing that international fans are just as hooked.
    (According to FlixPatrol, April 21)

    The drama is also doing incredibly well on South Korea’s own streaming trend charts. On KinoLights — a platform that tracks trends across all streaming services — The Haunted Palace ranked #1 overall, beating both films and dramas. (As of April 19)

    Fans are loving the unique story, which mixes fantasy, comedy, and creepy mystery. The drama follows Yeori, a shaman who denies her fate, and Kang Cheol I, a mythical Imoogi spirit trapped inside her first love’s body. Together, they face off against a terrifying ghost called Palcheok Gui — who has a dark grudge against the royal family.

    Episode 2 added even more excitement, with Kang Cheol I hilariously struggling to live like a normal human after 1,000 years.

    At the same time, Yeori starts hearing the voice of Yoon Gap’s spirit and tries to save him. By the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Prince Wonja (played by Park Jae Joon) is going mad due to Palcheok Gui — and that the ghost has already consumed Yoon Gap’s soul. The showdown between Kang Cheol I, Yeori, and the evil spirit is just getting started.

    With high ratings and top OTT rankings, The Haunted Palace is quickly becoming one of the biggest drama hits of the year.

    Episode 3 of The Haunted Palace airs on Friday, April 25 at 9:50 PM KST on SBS.

    Source: [1]