KOR
Actor Lee Yi-kyung (36) has denied a woman’s accusations about his private life and moved forward with legal action ― but the woman at the center of the controversy has resurfaced, claiming in a new interview that she and Lee “spoke for a year and a half,” reigniting debate online.
The woman, identified only as A and claiming to be German, appeared in a Nov. 26 interview on YouTuber Lee Jin-ho’s channel. She said she has never been to Korea and taught herself Korean for eight years. According to A, she first messaged Lee after watching one of his dramas and, starting in February last year, the two allegedly moved their conversations to KakaoTalk and chatted daily for about 18 months.
Pushing back on Lee’s camp, which has called her claims “entirely false,” A alleged the tone of their exchanges “grew increasingly explicit” over time. She said one particular comment involving multiple people left her feeling frightened and prompted her to go public. A also denied sending revealing photos first, countering suggestions that she initiated that part of the exchange.
A previously walked back her online post by saying it had been created with AI ― a reversal that damaged her credibility. She now says that wasn’t true, claiming a Korean acquaintance told her the issue would “blow over in two weeks,” which led her to panic and make the AI comment. “I didn’t manipulate anything with AI. The evidence I posted is real,” she insisted.
She added that she emailed Lee’s agency in May because the messages felt so unusual that she wondered if his account had been hacked. “They replied immediately, and from then on I felt sure it was actually Lee Yi-kyung,” A said, emphasizing she never asked for money and that her email wasn’t a threat. “I wish this would quiet down now. I regret going public,” she added.
Lee’s side continues to strongly deny all allegations. The actor recently completed a police statement after filing a criminal complaint on Nov. 21. He also drew attention with remarks that producers of the variety show "Hangout with Yoo" urged him to step aside amid what he says are false rumors ― and that he felt pressured to film a slapstick “noodle-slurping” bit for laughs. Those comments sparked backlash toward the production team.
Photo: Baik Seung-Chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)