"Lee Dong Wook Suggested a Formal Meeting for Marriage"... Breaking Savings Account and Thinking "What Is This"

[Woman in her 30s A (Informant): I love you, honey. I called him oppa, and he called me Jagiya. We talked like this for nearly a year. I think he picked me as his spouse.]

The story of a woman who exchanged social media messages for about eight months with someone impersonating actor Lee Dong Wook has caused shock.

Woman A, a woman in her 30s working as an extra, started communicating through social media early this year with an individual claiming to be Lee Dong Wook. She continued conversations for about eight months, leading her to believe they were in a romantic relationship in real life.

A said she had seen Lee Dong Wook from afar but had never met him in person or spoken to him on the phone, while claiming they exchanged selfies, complimented each other's appearances, and even talked about meeting together with their parents for a formal introduction meeting.

[Woman in her 30s A (Informant): He even sent me selfie photos, and when I showed my photos to Lee Dong Wook... Lee Dong Wook told me I was really pretty, and it was almost like a confession from him. It even got to the point where he said let's visit together with our parents and have a formal family meeting, so things developed into a romantic relationship.]

A also stated that while the other person was filming abroad, he sent a gift worth 700 million won, but claimed it was caught by customs and requested customs clearance and storage fees, leading her to transfer the money.

[Woman in her 30s A (Informant): The money I spent alone amounts to about 30 to 40 million won. I broke my regular savings account and added my living expenses to put in 35 million won.]

Even though the name of the account holder where the money was sent kept changing, the other person explained that because he is a celebrity, things shouldn't become a big issue, and A said she did not suspect this at the time.

Experts who reviewed the case diagnosed it as a typical international scam and romance scam, but A still believed that the person she was in contact with was actually actor Lee Dong Wook.

[Woman in her 30s A (Informant): Because Lee Dong Wook contacted me directly every morning and evening, because we were truly dating... he even talked about how he knows many famous people and offered to introduce them directly to me.]

Amidst this, actor Lee Dong Wook's agency urged, "Our agency's artists do not request money, valuables, or personal information through personal messengers or social media accounts," adding, "If you receive contact from an account suspected of impersonation, please do not respond under any circumstances."

They also emphasized, "Similar cases of damage have been occurring elsewhere recently, requiring special attention."

Netizens who encountered the case expressed bewilderment, leaving reactions such as "How can you become lovers when you haven't even met?" and "As if Lee Dong Wook would lack 35 million won to act like that."

(Planned by Yoon Sung-sik | Video editing by Kim Ki-hyun | Video source: News Hunters | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.