A top Korean actor took out a loan of around ₩200 million KRW (about $148,000 USD) to open a café in Aewol, Jeju, but after closing down just over a year later, the café has been left unattended, causing inconvenience to nearby residents and sparking controversy.
The Jeju café “Oasis80” announced a temporary closure from July 9th, saying it needed “time for restructuring,” but it has since been confirmed to be essentially abandoned.
Recently, a video titled “Lee Dong Gun also failed and left. Don’t even dream of harsh life in Jeju” was uploaded on YouTube.
The video shows the silent current state of Lee Dong Gun’s closed café. The YouTuber remarks, “The interior was well done, but it ended up failing,” and reveals the neglected pond, which was filled with thick green algae.
The YouTuber laments, “The eggs hatched, and it’s crawling with bugs.” He adds, “Although it’s a fatal flaw that there’s no ocean view, I thought the Lee Dong Gun name would overcome it, but they left the great location abandoned. It’s a pity about the furniture too.”
After the video was posted, a comment thought to be from a nearby resident drew attention. The commenter said, “The pond was made like that from the start, not locked by stairs,” and added, “They left it as is, and the bugs hatched have severely affected the family that lives beside and runs a café nearby. If you fail, you should take care of the aftermath before leaving.” However, the authenticity and specific facts of the comment have not been verified.
Lee Dong Gun opened the café in Aewol, Jeju, in April last year, and the process became a hot topic after being shared on Lee Sang Min’s social media. Lee Dong Gun later appeared on My Ugly Duckling, revealing his new role as a café owner, and actively promoted the brand by holding pop-up stores in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, featuring the café’s signature coffee and desserts.