Man convicted of false accusation against actress Lee Young-ae
A man surnamed Oh, 53, was convicted of making a false accusation against actress Lee Young-ae. / Korea Times File
By Lee Jin-a
A man has been convicted of making false accusations against popular actress Lee Young-ae.
Seoul Eastern District Court said Monday it had sentenced the man, surnamed Oh, aged 53, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for making groundless allegations that the actress stole a pine tree, two wooden pavilions and three bronze statues from his land in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
Oh was indicted in a countersuit from the actress, who claimed the man labeled her as a “thief” without evidence.
The dispute stemmed from a contract signed in October 2012 between Oh and a real estate development company to install facilities, including the disputed pavilions and statues, on Oh’s land.
The actress was involved as a promotional figure.
After finding the pavilions and statue missing, Oh named the actress as a prime suspect. But it was later proven that the pine tree was relocated within Oh’s land and that the pavilions and statues were removed by a landscaper surnamed Kim.
“Oh seemed to have raised accusation against Lee (Young-ae) without concrete evidence backing up his claim,” Lee Heung-joo said in a ruling statement. “But I decided on a suspended jail term after taking into consideration that he has no criminal record.”