Actress Jeon Won-ju (86), long dubbed the “queen of personal finance,” is under fire after a video showed her party sharing a single cup of coffee at a cafe. Even after the YouTube production team said “everyone except Jeon Won-ju placed their own orders,” the backlash hasn’t cooled.
On Feb. 24, Jeon Won-ju's YouTube channel posted a vlog of Jeon going out with her daughter-in-law. In the video, Jeon talked about her frugal habits, noting her city gas bill was 1,370 won in winter because she didn’t turn on the boiler. The controversy came from the cafe scene. Her daughter-in-law asked, “Should we buy one latte and share it?” and Jeon replied, “Just order one.” The daughter-in-law added, “Most cafes now expect one drink per person. When three of us are here and I suggest getting two, she still says, ‘Just one!’” She then pulled a paper cup from her bag so she and Jeon could split the drink.
Viewers criticized the move, saying, “Cafes aren’t just about the beverage price―it’s also the seat fee,” and “This can hurt small business owners.”
On Feb. 25, the production team posted an apology in the channel’s community. “We filmed with the cafe’s cooperation in advance, and everyone who entered placed an order,” they wrote. “But Jeon can’t drink much coffee, so she shared with her daughter-in-law.”
Some commenters pushed back, arguing the issue reflects her usual mindset, not just what happened that day. Others wrote, “If your money matters, so does other people’s.”
Jeon has long been known on TV for her ultra-frugal image. She has authored multiple books on stocks and stressed the philosophy that “saving is the foundation of personal finance.” She said she held SK hynix shares purchased in the early 2010s, keeping them until they surpassed 1 million won intraday in February 2026. She also revealed she bought a commercial property during the financial crisis that is now worth around 3 billion won.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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