Singer and broadcaster Lee Ji-hye has directly addressed accusations that she bulk-bought bread at Daejeon’s famous Sung Sim Dang bakery with no consideration for the customers waiting behind her, explaining that she merely paid for bread the staff picked up themselves.
The controversy began on October 13, when Lee posted photos from a business trip to Daejeon with her husband Moon Jae-wan. According to reports from Herald Muse and bnt News, she shared a photo of herself waiting in line at Sung Sim Dang alongside a picture of 11 cooler bags lined up with the caption “for all of us.” Some netizens criticized her, claiming one person buying that much bread at a popular bakery with long lines showed no consideration for those waiting behind her, and provocative posts with titles like “Lee Ji-hye controversy for sweeping up Sung Sim Dang bread” spread online.
On October 14, Lee confronted the backlash head-on. She shared a screenshot of one of the attack posts and wrote, “Sweep? I’m curious what the reason for manufacturing this controversy is. I visited Daejeon for a shoot and on the way back I only helped with the payment so the staff could each take one.” As reported by YTN Star and Hankook Ilbo, she added, “Since there’s no group photo, I’ll write the names of who took them myself,” posting a photo with each staff member’s name written on their bag. According to Sports Kyunghyang, the bags were labeled with the names of the broadcasting directors and PDs she worked with, and Lee kept only three for herself and her husband.
When one netizen commented that Sung Sim Dang limits purchases to two items per person, Lee replied directly: “We all lined up and bought them.” Staff members who were on the shoot backed her up in the comments, writing, “We all shared them at the company” and “We all lined up together and bought them. Senior Ji-hye paid! We ate well, thank you.”
Reactions online were divided. As Segye Ilbo noted, some found the whole fuss absurd — “is this even a controversy?” — while others argued that bulk buying at a nationally popular bakery still deserves some thought for other customers. Supportive comments toward Lee continued to grow after her explanation.
Lee Ji-hye is a former member of the first-generation co-ed group S#arp, now active as a singer and broadcaster. She married tax accountant Moon Jae-wan in 2017 and has two daughters. For now, her name-tagged bags and direct replies appear to have settled the uproar — though she is clearly watching the comments.
