K-Pop Idol’s Star Wife Wins Big Money Against KBS

She slapped them with a lawsuit after they did her dirty.

Announcer Lee Eun Ju, perhaps better known to K-Pop fans as Shinhwa member Andy‘s wife, has partially won her wage claim lawsuit against KBS.

Shinhwa’s Andy (back) and Lee Eun Ju (front) | Maeil

On March 24, 2026 (KST), Judge Kim Dong Hyun of the Seoul Southern District Court ruled in favor of Lee Eun Ju in part in her lawsuit against KBS. The court determined that KBS is obligated to pay her approximately ₩280 million KRW (about $186,000 USD) in unpaid wages. In response, KBS told Xportsnews, “We respect the court’s decision and will review the ruling before determining our internal course of action.”

Lee Eun Ju first joined a regional KBS station in 2015 as a freelance weathercaster and began taking on announcer duties the following year. However, after new announcers were hired in 2019, she was excluded from work, leading her to file a lawsuit seeking confirmation of her employment status.

After winning that case, she returned to KBS in January 2024. She then filed an additional lawsuit seeking wages she would have earned over the roughly five-year period during which she was effectively dismissed, arguing that her pay should be calculated using the same “Tier 4” salary standard as publicly recruited announcers. While KBS argued that her wages should be calculated based on “Tier 7,” the lowest internal rank, the court has since sided with Lee Eun Ju.

| @eunju_ana/Instagram

Lee Eun Ju got married to the OG K-Pop boy group Shinhwa’s Andy on June 12, 2022. Read more about her life as an idol’s wife here:

Newlywed Idol’s Wife Exposes Death Threats She Received