The story’s origins date back to 1972 when Seo, a mere 14-year-old, stunned the nation by clinching the grand prize at the first-ever Miss Lotte contest. With her doll-like features, she skyrocketed to stardom almost overnight. However, the plot thickens with the revelation that Shin had his eye on her from that very moment.
In 1981, just as Seo reached adulthood, a bombshell hit the entertainment world. At the zenith of her career, she abruptly announced her retirement and jetted off to Japan, ostensibly for studies.
Seo’s whereabouts became a subject of intense speculation until it was later revealed that she had been living as the ‘secret mistress of Lotte,’ alongside Chairman Shin, who was a staggering 38 years her senior.
Shin’s infatuation with Seo was reportedly off the charts. Despite having a wife and children, he lavished her with astronomical wealth.
Industry insiders estimate that Seo’s fortune, amassed during her three-decade-long seclusion, could be in the ballpark of 1 trillion KRW (approximately 750 million USD). In a jaw-dropping display of favoritism, Shin allegedly gifted her a larger stake in the company than his own sons, Shin Dong-joo and Shin Dong-bin.
Seo Mi-kyung traded the glitz and glamour of stardom for a life in the shadows of a chaebol dynasty. While she may have vanished from the public eye for decades, the opulent lifestyle she enjoyed behind closed doors far outshone any red carpet.
Their relationship, defying a 38-year age gap, was more than just a May-December romance. It continues to be a hot topic, intertwined with the labyrinthine world of chaebol asset succession and family politics.
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