[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Actress Kang Bu-ja personally denied long-standing rumors stemming from her friendships with business tycoons and spoke out about the injustices she has endured for decades.

Kang Bu-ja appeared on MBN’s “Kim Ju-ha’s Day & Night,” which aired on the 15th, and spoke about her connections with the late Lee Byung-chul, founding chairman of Samsung Group, and the late Chung Ju-yung, honorary chairman of Hyundai Group. Kang explained that while her network was perceived as glamorous, she actually had to endure false rumors because of it.
Her connection with Chairman Lee Byung-chul began during her time at TBC. Kang Bu-ja recalled shedding tears while reading the closing credits during TBC’s final broadcast in 1980, when the station shut down due to media consolidation. She later moved to KBS but faced difficulties in her broadcasting career for a while as her scheduled roles fell through one after another.
People around her suggested she seek out influential figures to ask for help. However, Kang Bu-ja said she refused to do so. She believed that since she had done nothing wrong, there was no reason to go to anyone and plead her case. She explained that she was determined not to rely on favors, even if it meant taking on other jobs to make ends meet.
Later, Chairman Lee Byung-chul reportedly offered to help, but she declined. Kang Bu-ja emphasized that even though she was on friendly terms with business leaders, she had never made personal requests or asked them to resolve her professional issues.
The problem began when these personal connections took an unexpected turn. Rumors spread—so-called “pimp” rumors—that Kang Bu-ja was connecting junior female entertainers with business leaders and pocketing money in return. Kang Bu-ja strongly denied the allegations, stating that such behavior was exactly what she detested most.
The rumors even reached her family. Her son, who was in the United States at the time, reportedly heard through family members a story claiming that Kang Bu-ja had embezzled money intended for a junior entertainer and was subsequently struck with an ashtray by Chairman Chung Ju-yung. Kang Bu-ja recalled being deeply shocked that baseless rumors had spread with such specific details added.
She cited “being a parent who isn’t ashamed in front of her children” as a value she has held dear throughout her life. She repeatedly drew a clear line, stating that the story about her introducing junior executives to business leaders in exchange for financial gain was untrue, and that she had never accepted money for such matters.
Kang Bu-ja shared that while she had suffered greatly over the years due to rumors that were difficult to refute, she felt that the time she had spent living life on her own terms ultimately proved who she is today.