A post exposing actor Lee Yi-kyung's private life is spreading online. His agency has taken a hard-line stance, saying it will pursue legal action for the spread of false information, but the person making the allegation posted an additional note saying it was uploaded so that other women would not go through the same thing, escalating the dispute over what is true.
Recently, a post titled "Revealing Lee Yi-kyung's real side" was uploaded on Naver Blog. The writer, identified as A, said, "I lost a lot of evidence when I changed my phone, but I thought I had to show at least what remains," and released photos of KakaoTalk and Instagram DM messages with a person A claimed was Lee Yi-kyung. A is known to be German.
The photos showed the other party, named "Lee Yi-kyung," asking A for photos of body parts and engaging in profanity, sexual harassment, and lewd remarks. Photos from Lee Yi-kyung's filming set and selfies were also included, but their authenticity was not verified. The post was later deleted, but screenshots spread rapidly on online communities.
Sangyoung ENT, Lee Yi-kyung's agency, said on the 20th, "We are preparing legal action for damage caused by the spread of false information and malicious rumors, and, given the seriousness of this matter, we will calculate the scale of direct and indirect damage from the spread of false information and take all measures."
According to the agency, about five months ago A sent a threatening email with the same allegations and demanded money. At the time, A reportedly apologized after the agency signaled legal action.
However, after the agency's official statement was released, A posted an additional note on the blog. A said, "Seeing the (Lee Yi-kyung agency's) response, it seems suddenly the story came out that I asked for money. I was startled because it was the first I'd heard of it," but added, "I did ask once, 'Can you give me money?' There was a money issue, and I couldn't ask my parents to 'give me money,' so I asked. I never received money, and I never asked 'again' afterward. The post I uploaded yesterday was not to 'ask you to send money.' I posted it so that other women would not go through the same thing."
A added, "I don't speak Korean well. I've been self-studying for eight years and have never learned through books or classes. I'm not a scammer, I'm really German," and said, "I didn't expect it to blow up like this, and I'd like my private life to be left alone."
Lee Yi-kyung debuted in the 2012 film "Baekya." Since then, he has continued acting through a variety of works, including "Go Back Couple," "Welcome to Waikiki," "Partners for Justice," "Royal Secret Agent," "Marry My Husband," "Confidential Assignment," "Hitman," and "6/45." In addition, he is a regular on various entertainment programs, including "Hangout With Yoo" (MBC), "The Return of Superman" (KBS), and "I Am Solo" (SBS Plus·ENA).