Can Lee rebound from latest scandal?

Actor Lee Byung-hun

Model, singer who blackmailed actor Lee Byung-hun face final hearing

Seen above are text messages that Dispatch reported as having been sent between actor Lee Byung-hun and model Lee Ji-yeon. / Korea Times

By Kwon Ji-youn

Could Lee Byung-hun have taken a liking to the role of antagonist after starring as T-1000 in the upcoming film “Terminator Genisys?”

The actor had weathered a good number of storms before he married Lee Min-jung -- including a batch of rumors about his relationship with drama co-star Song Hye-kyo and a scandal with a Korean-Canadian gymnast ― but no one saw the 5-billion-won hurricane coming his way after he tied the knot in August 2013.

New evidence has suggested Lee may not be as innocent as he claims to be in a scandal involving two women ― a singer and a model ― who he has accused of attempting to blackmail him.

Online entertainment news outlet Dispatch unveiled text messages Jan. 5 that Lee and the model, named Lee Ji-yeon, allegedly exchanged, just 10 days ahead of a final hearing in the trial of the two women.

Dispatch organized chronologically the five encounters between Lee and the model, the first of which occurred on July 1, 2014, when he was introduced to the two women at a dinner gathering.

Dispatch reported that the actor had repeatedly said he liked the model Lee, making lewd remarks and asking for her number. When she said her cellular service had been cut off because she hadn’t paid her bills, Lee offered to pay for a full year’s worth, it reported. The report said the actor first visited her two-room home on July 3. Here, he gave her wine and a cellular phone as gifts; and singer Kim Da-hee joined them for about 30 minutes. The lewd remarks continued, it reported.

BH Entertainment, which represents Lee, said Dispatch unilaterally published the suspect’s false claims, and said vaguely that they do not feel the need to rebut the media coverage each time it surfaces.

“The source that provided media with false information is a doubtful one,” BH told local media. “We don’t understand the reasons for such media manipulation so close to the final hearing.”

Actor Lee, over the past few months, has been refuting the two young women’s allegations that he and the model had been “in a relationship.”

Lee’s agency stressed that the three had been “just friends,” but he had decided to stop seeing them when they demanded financial assistance. It said that no lewd comments had been recorded on video footage.

The fact remains that actor Lee is the victim, the two young women are the suspects and Lee’s alleged behavior does not excuse their blackmailing. But this incident has only laid bare actor Lee’s behavior outside the house, and left the public wondering how a 44-year-old man ― and married, no less ― has found himself in a sticky spot with young women 20 years his junior ― and not for the first time.

What happened?

On Aug. 29, 2014, actor Lee filed a report with the Gangnam Police Station, requesting an investigation into two young women who were blackmailing him using what they claimed was a compromising video as leverage. The two ― Kim, a member of girl group GLAM, and model Lee ― were arrested on Sept. 3. With Lee’s report to the police, media outlets became aware of the incident.

Model Lee, however, claimed that she and the actor had been “seeing each other” for three months. As if to prove this, her Instagram was wallpapered with photographs of gifts that someone nicknamed “Lee Santa” had given her -- wine, a cellular phone and skincare products.

Dispatch cited Lee’s representation as having said the gifts had been from the actor. BH Entertainment refuted these claims.

Three hearings took place over three months -- on Oct. 16, Nov. 24 and Dec. 16. At the third, a three-year jail sentence was sought for Kim and Lee.

At all three hearings, the two stuck to their story that the 44-year-old actor had been out to seduce the 24-year-old model. Model Lee’s lawyer went as far as to claim that the actor had demanded sex from her and that her rejection had caused him to break the relationship off.

Actor Lee’s agency has upheld its claim that the two women had taken advantage of his celebrity status to badger money out of him.

“And this isn’t the first time,” they say.

It’s true. A Canadian-Korean gymnast in 2009 filed a lawsuit against actor Lee for having seduced her with false promises of marriage. The gymnast named Kim Mi-yeon claimed that she had moved back to Korea solely to be with the actor, but once she did, he had neglected her. Lee filed a countercharge against the then-22 year old gymnast for defamation.

With such a record, the public has turned its back against the actor, who had once received critical acclaim for his talent on both the small and big screens, and while there is no room for doubt that Lee is a victim of blackmail, his past embroilments have left his image and career marred for life.

Final hearing

Model Lee and Kim have continuously expressed their acknowledgement of faults and submitted one letter of apology after another, but the prosecution seems to remain unconvinced. They say that the letters contain fact distortions, and that they continue to blame the victim, which means they are not regretful of their behavior.

But with such blunt text messages now on the loose, the incident could take a new turn. If it turns out Lee had in fact attempted to seduce the young model, he, though indisputably a victim, will need to take moral responsibility for his actions. Attention is also centered on whether the two women will be given the benefit of the doubt.

The final hearing is set for Jan. 15.