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Lee Byung-hun lashes out at blackmailers
By Ko Dong-hwan
By Ko Dong-hwan
Actor Lee Byung-hun has expressed his support for robust legal action against two women who attempted to blackmail him, using a secretly-recorded video clip.
The two women demanded the star pay them five billion won ($4.9 million) not to post the video, which allegedly contained footage of Lee saying a sexually-explicit remark.
Lee’s management company BH Entertainment said in a release that the women’s threat was a “carefully planned crime” and that the two were ready to flee to Europe after grabbing the money.
The company added that Lee suffered “secondary damage” of mental trauma as premature media reports covering the incident fueled baseless rumors and malicious comments against him.
The company cited Seoul Central District Court as saying “the incident’s gravity is significant to the extent of requiring an arrest of the women” and “the range of their penalties will be from five years in jail to life imprisonment considering the huge amount of the money they attempted to swindle.”
Kim Da-hee, 20, member of a rookie hip-hop girl group called Glam, and her accomplice only known as Lee, 25, contacted Lee on August 28 and threatened to release the video.
The two had previously had drinks with the actor at his home after an acquaintance introduced them. The video was allegedly recorded during the meeting.
Lee reported the women’s threat to police, who captured them on Wednesday near their home. The women admitted their crime during the police questioning.
Cyber police confiscated their laptops and smartphones containing the clip and are further investigating the case.