According to reports, an elderly couple in their seventies were fined after visiting singer Rain’s home and demanding that Rain pay back money that his father owed the couple from over two decades ago. Based on sources from legal circles, on December 16, Yoo Chang Hoo, the senior judge at the Seoul Western District Court fined a man (age 79) and his wife (age 73) with 700,000 KRW (SGD850) each.
According to the elderly couple, Rain’s father who is only known by his surname Mr Jung had bought rice on credit at their rice shop in Yongsan district, Seoul, more than two decades ago but never paid back the money that was owed. The couple then dropped by Rain’s home where his family stays along with his parents but Rain’s father did not want to meet the couple.
So they yelled out, “Pay back the money for the rice,” and hit the front gate several times, breaking the door lock that was worth 200,000 KRW (SGD243), and forced the door open without permission. They then trespassed into Rain’s house to the front lawn.
In 2018, the elderly couple posted a message on an online community claiming that Rain’s parents owed them money. They alleged that Rain’s parents used to own a rice cake shop and had borrowed 25 million KRW (SGD30,000) worth of rice from them. They added that Rain’s parents promised to pay them back but did not.
Last September, the elderly man filed a civil suit against Mr Jung for 50 million (SGD60,000) but lost the case in January this year. Rain then filed an injunction against the man in February this year and the court cited it in April.
The court stated, “The victim has suffered considerable mental pain, but he does not want to punish the perpetrator.”
Born June 25 1982, Jung Ji-hoon, better known by his stage name Rain is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and music producer.
Rain’s musical career includes seven albums (six Korean, one Japanese), 28 singles and numerous concert tours around the world. He achieved breakthrough success with his third Korean album, It’s Raining (2004), which spawned the number one single of the same name. The album sold a million copies in Asia, and established Rain as an international star.