Actress Lee Si-young is facing criticism for inappropriate table manners at a restaurant in the United States.
On the 5th, Lee Si-young uploaded a video to her social account with the caption, "Final day. It's such a beautiful restaurant on Long Island Beach. If you go to the U.S., you must visit here. I have to go here again next year, hahaha. Jeong-yoon was really sad that she wanted to stay in the U.S. longer...ㅠㅠ Let's stay longer next year. Goodbye."
The released video shows Lee Si-young and her son at a restaurant located on Long Island Beach. Lee Si-young is seen sitting with her group, leaning over glasses of wine while chatting against the backdrop of a beautiful beach sunset. However, after the video was uploaded, criticism poured in from netizens both domestically and internationally about Lee Si-young's inconsiderate behavior.
In the video, Lee Si-young's son is not sitting at the table and is instead distractedly moving around the terrace. Seeing this, Lee Si-young did not intervene with her son but rather smiled brightly and continued to eat, conversing with the person next to her. It appears she pays little to no attention to her son, even when he moves to another table.
Especially in the video, not only Lee Si-young's group but also a face of an ordinary customer sitting at the adjacent table was captured clearly because it was filmed from that table. Moreover, being closer to the camera than Lee Si-young, the customer's face was prominently shown, but Lee Si-young exposed the individual's face without any mosaic treatment.
Noticing the camera filming in front of them, the foreign individual in the video either lowered their head to fiddle with their phone or blocked themselves with sunglasses. They even appeared to be conscious of Lee Si-young's son's distracting behavior, glancing over in their direction and stealing glances at the camera lens several times.
Netizens expressed discomfort, saying, "The foreign woman at the adjacent table looks uncomfortable with the child moving around and the camera filming. It's not basic manners to shoot openly. I hope the image of Koreans does not worsen. Additionally," they commented, "The child keeps moving around distractedly during the meal, and the camera is filming as if it owns that space. What are they thinking to do such a nuisance without a care?" Additionally, "The foreign individual seems displeased, so I can't enjoy the beautiful scenery. I hope they asked for permission," and "While it's important to talk about oneself, it would be good to teach the child some dining etiquette."
Foreign netizens also pointed out, "When you want to enjoy or capture videos with family, even when abroad, make sure to only capture family and not other people. They seem uncomfortable with the camera while eating and put on sunglasses. People in Korea also dislike being captured on camera without permission," and (they) noted, "Parents must teach their children table manners. That way, they can sit at the table and eat. The woman at the adjacent table does not appreciate that. She came here to have a good time. They do not like the boy wandering around."
However, some argued, "With the camera positioned as it was, wouldn't it be natural to ask for permission from the foreigner?" suggesting that it could be an exaggerated interpretation. Amidst this, Lee Si-young has remained silent without providing any explanation, and the controversial video remains posted without any edits or deletions.
Meanwhile, Lee Si-young married a businessman 9 years her senior in 2017 and gave birth to her first son the following year, but they divorced by mutual agreement in March this year. However, she attracted attention by announcing the news of her second pregnancy afterward. During her marriage, she underwent in vitro fertilization, and when the period for embryo storage was about to end during the divorce preparations, she reportedly transferred the embryo despite her ex-husband's opposition. Her husband's side expressed that he did not agree to the pregnancy but noted, "Now that the second child is on the way, I will fulfill my responsibility as a father."
Lee Si-young is currently 7 months pregnant and has gone to the United States with her first son after the divorce, spending a month there. She shared her daily life in the U.S. through social media and later announced her return to Korea in May.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Lee Si-young's social media
[OSEN]