Shin Stayed at Four-Star Hotel in New York

It was revealed that Shin Jeong-ah stayed in a luxurious four-star hotel in Manhattan for most of her life in exile. It is also estimated that Shin had spent more than 10 million won on hotel expenses alone.

An acquaintance of Shin said yesterday, “Starting at the end of July, Shin stayed at San Carlos Hotel in Manhattan until she left the U.S. on September 13.”

Shin entered the U.S. on July 16 and stayed at the Hampton Inn hotel located on the south side of Manhattan. However, Shin changed hotels a week after her identity was exposed to Koreans living in the U.S. and has since stayed at the San Carlos Hotel from the end of July before she left the U.S. on September 13.

The San Carlos Hotel, which was renovated four years ago, is a four-star hotel located in the heart of Manhattan. A hotel room at the San Carlos hotel costs more than $500 a night according to the hotel reservation web site “Expedia.” Hotel bill in Manhattan is around two to five times more expensive than in other parts of the U.S.

A hotel official noted, “Hotel room rates are different depending on the reservation method or date, but the hotel bill per night at the San Carlos is currently well beyond $300.”

Assuming that Shin stayed at the San Carlos hotel for at least 40 days, it would have cost Shin $12,000 (11.4 million won), calculating the bill per night as at least $300 per night. However, considering the fact that Shin stayed at the hotel in August, the high season, and that she also stayed at another hotel, the total amount she would have spent on hotel bill during her time in New York should be much more than the above figure.

Meanwhile, Shin was said to be highly agitated following the revelation of the allegations that she maintained a very intimate relationship with Byeon Yang-gyun, former chief of staff of Roh, and that her nude photos had been posted.

Shin’s acquaintance remarked, “Shin initially planned to return to Korea around Chuseok holidays but she had hard time contemplating that as the repercussions of her scandal grew bigger. She even said that she wanted to die in an e-mail, and added that for that reason, her family advised her to come back to Korea earlier.

Shin was said to be in anguish over her mother, saying, “She did nothing wrong but to give birth to a daughter,” as her cancer-stricken mother is under heavy scrutiny by the media.

kong@donga.com