Comedian Kim Shin-young's Sneaker Collection Worth a House, Literally

Comedian Kim Shin-young revealed during her debut appearance on MBC's I Live Alone that one sneaker in her collection has appreciated to 35 million won (roughly $26,000 USD), enough to buy an entire house in Korea. She purchased the shoe decades ago for just 300,000 won, making it perhaps the most profitable investment in her closet.

In the episode aired April 10, Shin-young introduced herself as a 14-year veteran of solo living and walked viewers through her stylishly minimalist apartment, which features a dedicated sneaker room and denim room that rival high-end boutiques. Host Jeon Hyun-moo asked how it felt to finally appear on the show, which she admitted she'd been hoping to join for years.

Shin-young explained that her obsession with footwear stems from childhood. "I have an older brother, three years my senior," she said. "As a kid, I wore his hand-me-down shoes. Once I started earning money, I wanted to buy as many as I wanted." She stopped counting after 700 pairs.

What surprised cast members most was that despite the collection's staggering value, nearly every shoe showed virtually no signs of wear. When asked if they were purely for display, Shin-young laughed and admitted she does wear them, just rarely. "I walk in them, but I don't really step on the ground," she quipped, revealing herself to be an extreme homebody. When co-host Park Ji-hyun joked "So what's the point of owning them?", Shin-young simply replied: "Aren't they happiness?"

The comedian also shared that she owns designer denim pieces worth millions of won and treasures her first pair of sneakers from her early days working part-time jobs. When asked what she'd do if she sold the entire collection, she joked: "I could buy this house. But what would I do with my kids?" The cheeky response brought laughter from the panel.