'Actor Lee Yi-kyung (36) was cleared of personal life rumors, and a netizen presumed to be the person who first raised the allegations has posted again, prolonging the controversy.
On the 20th, a writer identified as A, who claimed on an online community to be "the account that posted articles related to Lee Yi-kyung," posted an additional statement. He said, "I once asked, 'Can you give me money?' At that time I had personal financial problems and it was difficult to ask my parents for help, so I asked," and he claimed, "But I never actually received money, and I never asked again."
A added, "The post I made yesterday was not about money but intended to prevent other women from experiencing the same thing because he made such strong remarks," and added, "My Korean is poor. I have been self-studying Korean for eight years, and I am German, not a con artist."
Earlier, A posted on a portal blog a piece titled 'Exposing Lee Yi-kyung's true self' and released messenger screenshots of sexual conversations said to have been exchanged with Lee Yi-kyung. The post was soon deleted, but some content spread quickly through communities and social media, escalating the controversy.
In response, Lee Yi-kyung's agency, Sangyoung ENT, immediately issued an official statement saying, "All the content being circulated on online communities and social media recently is false." The agency said, "We are preparing legal action for damages caused by the spread of false information and malicious rumors, and in accordance with the seriousness of this matter we will calculate the scale of direct and indirect damages and take all measures," signaling a tough response.
Online, reactions ranged from disbelief—"Shocked that the exposer is a foreigner" and "Was this intentionally done to attract attention?"—to calls such as "Lee Yi-kyung's side should clarify things clearly." Some also urged caution, saying, "You should not vilify an actor based solely on claims from an unidentified person."
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]