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MBK Partners Chairman Kim Faces Repayment Demands for Homeplus Debt
Retail Trade · Specialty Stores · yonhap_finance · 2026-08-24
MBK Partners Chairman Kim Byung-ju is facing mounting pressure to repay debts and honor guarantees provided to support Homeplus operations.
What Happened
Repayment Pressure: MBK Partners Chairman Kim Byung-ju is facing immediate repayment demands regarding loan guarantees and personal asset-backed financing provided to Homeplus. Financial institutions have begun requesting the settlement of principal and interest following the termination of Homeplus's corporate rehabilitation process.
Origin of Debt: The financial obligations stem from emergency operating funds provided to Homeplus last May, for which Chairman Kim provided joint and several guarantees. With the court's decision to close the rehabilitation proceedings, the lender declared an event of default, triggering the immediate repayment obligation for the guarantors.
Financial Burden: In addition to the existing guarantees, Chairman Kim is reportedly facing demands to repay or provide additional collateral for 100 billion won in funds raised using his personal assets, including his residence, to cover employee wages earlier this year. This comes on top of his recent commitment to provide a new guarantee for a 200 billion won loan from Meritz Financial.
Industry Outlook: Investment banking sources estimate that Chairman Kim's total financial exposure related to Homeplus, including previous support and recent guarantees, has reached approximately 600 billion won. Analysts suggest that the combination of new financing commitments and the realization of past debt obligations is significantly increasing the financial strain on the MBK leadership.