There’s a new twist in the Lee Byung Hun blackmailing legal matter that doesn’t exonerate the accused young ladies but does paint him in an even worse light if the information is true. The two accused are 20 year old Dahee of the girl group GLAM and a model named Lee Ji Yeon who is 25 years old. Scrutiny had been focused more on Dahee since she’s the more publicly known of the two ladies but now Lee Ji Yeon has stepped forward through her lawyer to proffer a reason for the blackmail attempt. There is always a reason for something, and almost always the reason is important to understand the full picture. Lee Ji Yeon claims that she had a three month long affair with Lee Byung Hun which he recently broke off and her attempt to blackmail him arose from being hurt that he was ending things with her.
The lewd recording at the heart of the blackmail was recorded by Lee Ji Yeon’s friend Dahee and happened while Lee Ji Yeon was not present. Apparently the three were drinking but Lee Ji Yeon left the house to buy more drinks and when Lee Byung Hun and Dahee were alone is when the conversation took place. Dahee secretly recorded it and only after Lee Ji Yeon was unceremoniously dumped did she use the recording to blackmail Lee Byung Hun. Being dumped or pissed is no defense to blackmail so Lee Ji Yeon at most is bringing this up to explain why she broke the law as well as paint Lee Byung Hun in an even sleazier light. Lee Byung Hun’s attorney has vigorously denied his client had an affair with Lee Ji Yeon and calls her assertions completely fabricated. I don’t know why but this entire mess makes me want to take a good long shower and scrub off the slime. The only person I remotely empathize with is Lee Byung Hun’s wife Lee Min Jung.
Prior to Lee Ji Yeon’s claim that she had an affair with Lee Byung Hun, late last week he actually penned a handwritten letter to his fans where he apologized to everyone around him including his family and fans for letting them done.
“This is Lee Byung Hun.
I know that many of you are very disappointed because of this recent incident. My mind and my heart are not working properly now and I’m merely breathing to pass the days.
Regardless of whether the incident was planned or I was threatened, before blaming such things I know that it all started because of my carelessness and lack of virtue, and I deeply regret my actions and am spending my time reflecting. As an actor who received love from many people, I feel the weight of the responsibility to my bones.
What is most important and most painful for me is that I disappointed and hurt those I love and care for the most. They are receiving so much unwanted attention and going through a difficult time because of me. I’ll try my hardest for the rest of my life to not again disappoint my family and wife that stood beside me.
Though I can’t take back the disappointment I caused, I’ll use discretion for everything going forward. I’ll try to live by doing my best with the work I’m given, and I will always reflect on how big the responsibility of the love and interest you give me is.”
Wow! The things coming out of this are really like stories that one would only find on some horrible gossip column where it feels like they made up every single word. But somehow as outrageous as all of this is, it doesn’t really feel made it. Aish, he really should have settled this one outside of the court of public opinion, which I have no idea what that public opinion is but airing dirty laundry like this is a little too much. And its very very dirty laundry I might add.
Poor LMJ. I don’t know how she could turn a blind eye to this. I don’t know if the affair is true, but even if its not, he sounds like a guy that women should stay far far away from. Seriously, where there are men who committ adultery, there are women who are equally part of it. Just sad all around.
To be honest I can’t really feel for LMJ. She knew him for years before they married, so she knew his reputation. She went into this marriage with eyes wide open.
I agree with you. She’s definitely not out of the loop. She KNOWS how it is, she went into it fully aware of how the situation will be. I’m sure there was some trade off being married to LBH
Before pointing fingers at someone who’s completely innocent from this whole sordid affair, maybe just maybe, we can give her the benefit of the doubt? It’s quite possible that she just might have been really in love with him and thought she could change his womanizing ways. Crazier things have happened, I know.
How many silly girls got involved with a bad boy because she thought she would be the one to change him.They always want to be the one to change them.So they can gloat and say hey he played all of you but not me look he put a ring on it.
Mutually Assured Destruction.
This just keeps getting better (worse). As I can totally see LBH having an affair, what’s bothering me more is on what pretext are TWO of these girls spending time with LBH? Let’s assume that he’s fooling with Ji Yeon as true, but what was Dahee’s business with him? More so, why is LBH flirting with her (at least talking dirty is what I would qualify as flirting. Who knows maybe LBH talks with every girl like that?) assuming that Ji Yeon wants the attention for herself (she claims that she’s angry for getting dumped after all)? Or was she totally fine with that arrangement? So it’s some kind of a three-way, um, thing?
Sounds like a plot for a porn flick.
This is utmost disrespect for LMJ.
I was so sure LMJ would leave him. If anything in that letter is true, she won’t be doing that after all. This only makes me want to bad mouth HER. I mean…HAVE SOME SELF-RESPECT WOMAN!
….you do realise he would basically have her blacklisted from acting forever if she made him look bad by divorcing him now, right? He has a lot of influence in shady circles.
LBH is an equally sleazy and scary douchebag. Totally agree with the fact that he has a lot of influence in shady circles. LMJ needs to pull a Katie Homes on him: plan her escape/divorce carefully and have good people on her side to protect her. Run, woman, run!
Yeah Gina is right! There’s a lot of gossip of how Lee Min Jung got her roles & that was cause of him supporting him.. Since Lee Min Jung debuted at 25 it wouldn’t be so easy for her to get meaty roles & apparently he used connections for her to land it. Obviously she can’t divorce him right now it would be pretty disastrous..
I feel bad for her but at the same time I don’t.. He never had a clean image from the beginning….
Please, he already decided she was going to stick by him before she did. She has no choice int he matter. Her dumping him because of this is terrible for him and it won’t happen. I’m not into crazy conspiracy theories, but this guy’s influence and power is no joke.
She might not be able to do it now, but I hope she’s able to do it eventually.
I feel so bad for Lee Min Jung, even if she knew his reputation that is no excuse for him to publicly humiliate the woman he swore wedding vows to.
His decision to go public has backfired on him. WServes him right. Won’t ever watch “TGTBTW” – too bad. Not feeling the least bit sorry about LMJ and their “wedding” which in my eyes resembled a masquerade instead.
There are no words. I’m waiting for the day Lee Min Jung announces that she is going to divorce this cheating douche nozzle and becomes a feisty sly-and-single-again lady.
Well, LBH has his shared of scandals and rumors so I would hesitant to date/marry him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a fetish for young women. He dated Song Hye Kyo when she was in her early 20’s (They broke up when she was 22 and he was 33 at the time). And then he was in Canada for a press event for his movie “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” and had a scandal with a 20-year old gal. Seriously, his sketchy past should have alerted Lee Ming Jung before she made a commitment to marry the guy. I just hope the best for Lee Ming Jung although she should have known what she got into when she married him.
So this has been bothering me for a while now. Ever since the news broke out of the possibility of LBH cheating with one of these girls (or both), posters have been supporting the decision of LMJ divorcing LBH, and I for one can definitely see that happening. However, it has been brought up several times that the supposed omnipotent influence and power that LBH have which threatens to blacklist LMJ from projects which would hurt her financially if she ever divorced him. Now, I’m not knowledgeable with divorce laws outside of US (nor any of it in general), but isn’t it a fact that LMJ will get half of both hers and LBH’s assets if she did divorce him? Assuming that LBH did somehow flexed out his yakuza like influence and prevent LMJ from landing gigs, I would still say that the amount of money that LMJ should amass will be considerable enough to last her to her retirement. Can someone shed light on this piece of legality here?
(1) I’m 99.999999% sure the couple has a prenup and I doubt any sane lawyer of Lee Byung Hun’s would have drafted a prenup giving his spouse half of his assets.
(2) Lee Min Jung is from a very wealthy family, she doesn’t need money from Lee Byung Hun for financial security. She’s also worked for years and presumably earned money on her own.
The issue isn’t about money but about career future. Folks are worried, rightfully so, that post-divorce Lee Min Jung can’t get any acting or modeling work, or at least none that are any good. She can also kiss any future awards possibilities goodbye.
It’s all speculation anyway. For all we know the couple might announce soon she’s pregnant and they are expecting a baby. Happy pregnancy news and a cute baby always covers any scandal.
Oh yeah pre-nup! Totally forgot about that.
Thanks for the info koala, as always. 🙂
Actually LMJ is not that bad an actress, always enjoyed watching her… More so than that slimy not too great an actor LBH… How did he ever get so big and powerful with that kind of sorry looks without some sort of shady support? OMG, hope there won’t be a child from that kind of man…
You said it capt K! I was thinking the same thing. Have a baby, cover the scandal. The thing is while I have no idea what kind of person Lmj is, I doubt she will end up divorcing him anytime soon over this. I had hoped he would change after getting married but I guess not. For her sake, I hope he changes after having a kid. But having a kid to save the marriage only rarely works. I would feel bad for her to be in marriage like that. I just feel like there are always going to be 20 something chicks that will go for him, while she’s not getting any younger. So why do that to oneself? With a husband who doesn’t even respect the marriage or her enough to be faithful. By all counts, they painted a lovely picture to the public. But it’s really who one is behind closed doors that counts. It doesn’t affect me in any way. But even if she knew he was like this, is there any woman who really doesn’t care? It still has to hurt. Sounds like he really runs the show in their marriage.
@ockoala
I really appreciate your insight into the legal aspect of these cases….wondering if you could shed some light on the adultery laws in Korea? Somewhere I read that people sometimes can go to jail for committing adultery. Maybe it was in a drama (100 Year Inheritance- but that show was all kinds of crazy). Thanks
Why are there always girls/women hanging around sleezy guys, making the whole sleezy circle complete??!! It’s so gross just thinking about infidelity, the betrayal, the lack of control/morals and yet it happens everyday. So sad.
did the police really tie those girls up with ropes to be brought to the station?
Yes, thus taking the “perp walk” to ridiculous extremes. Obviously, blackmail is a much, much more serious and dangerous crime than beating someone so badly they must be hospitalized.
I’m sooo mad I can’t. The power of LBH. Kim Hyung Joong is free as far as I’m concerned!
I like how he says he’ll use discretion in the future, and not, he won’t do such acts again…haha.
Yup. subtext is, ‘sorry you found out, I’ll make sure to hide it better in the future so you can more easily pretend that I am a good person.’
He probably means he’ll be discreet by NOT getting caught in the future. Anyway, wasn’t this letter written before the affair allegation?
Ditto! I caught on the discretion word and laughed. What a giveaway!
K Ent is quite a world of its own, regressive. Actors take certain decisions and pay for it for the rest of their professional lives? No matter how talented, if you say, seek a divorce, or walk out of a project, or separate, thats it you are blacklisted? What kind of mentality encourages this? Seems like all the performers- whether tv or films – live their personal by the rules of the entertaiment industry. Seems very alarming and conforming because of fear of a brutal backlash.
And that is when those actresses go to China instead. More pay, better working conditions, and they’re still popular or even more. My lovely Chae Rim is doing very well in China: successful career w/ not shitty ahjumma roles offer to her b/c of her relationship status and a very hot husband!
Good going dude! Whether he cheated or not, he still looks bad at the end of the day.
LHB is media savvy. He is very manipulative and cunning. Not a honet man at all. Just reading the letter he wrong makes me want to throw up. He will just play PR spin games with the audience and his fans. One day, he will be alone and left burnt if this continues.
Typo: Not a Honest man. Just reading the letter he wrote makes me want to throw up.
Yes, I vaguely remember LMJ is from a wealthy family. LBH is also from a wealthy family (read/watch somewhere long ago that he once pretended to be a taxi driver to experience the life of the less privileged). They’ve known each other for years, i.e. nothing too whirlwind about it. So… theirs is a marriage of convenience? Like those chaebol families hooking up to make chaebol offsprings to inherit their empire?! Pffttt… if so, divorce is so not happening. LBH is going to continue his wayward ways, just more discretely so that LMJ can continue to close both eyes without looking like an idiot.
Ok, he’s a skeeze! We are all in agreement and the court of public opinion has ruled. However, we should un-equivocally believe the assertions that he had an affair with a 25 year old, virtually unknown model who “dated” him for 3 months and who willingly participated in a blackmail scheme? Because now she’s telling the truth?!
1) Evidence? Txt, photos, phone records etc. aside from the tape, is there any other evidence to prove her story? Her friend maybe? After all, these are ladies of sterling character. “Birds of a feather flock together”. All three of them
2). “If” and I mean “if” you are dating this jerk behind his wife’s back, and you know he has a wondering eye….why would you leave that “oppa” with your friend and do a beer run? Of course if they are “dating” he wouldn’t stray from her? Right? No, just his wife….
3) have we heard what else is on the tape? Maybe it’s not language and conversations that will reflect well on these young ladies…only his words right?
4) I have observed that when people are guilty they cover things up and hide. He did the opposite. He hurt his wife, his marriage, his family and added another black mark to his career. If he was smart he would have negotiated the payoff down, paid them and gone on his merry way…that would have been much easier…
5) I read that police found evidence that these girls had researched European countries to live in, prepared their passports, bought tickets, booked lavish hotel rooms in Paris and where caught with a huge empty suitcase (for the cash….someone’s been watching too many spy movies….there are laws about max cash entering a country). These are not sweet innocent girls caught up in a revenge makjang filled plot.
6) ropes or handcuffs…they have been arrested for a crime…and if you beat your girlfriend or hit your wife to be in an elevator….then the perp walk is coming your way! (At least they could hide their faces)
Perhaps it’s helpful for the model to claim an affair….public sympathy…paint him in a darker light (if possible). Might help her legally….I don’t know, but I don’t think she is getting good advice from legal counsel. It would be in her best interest to wait for trial, bc of course if she’s lying….
Based on what I know so far, which could change tomorrow, I think she made an impulsive decision and lied about an affair (I could be wrong and happy to admit it if true) but regardless of the affair, she and Dahee chose to tape and blackmail. That tape could have been erased, or more damage done by going straight to the media, or his wife….with the “affair” in their back pocket! Now that would have done some damage and would have been sweet revenge KDramastyle….
So, let’s not all jump on the wagon and assume that she/they are telling the truth. All three are sleezy and they are just as culpable in this as he is.
Regarding his letter….for me, it seemed a bit contrived and insincere. I could be missing something in the translation or a cultural aspect I’m not aware of…he should kneel….for a long time, and ask forgiveness of his lovely wife.
If what we know about the real LBH is this tip of the iceburg – what actually made it all the way through the politics of the Korean media world, i would imagine, there is a lot more skeeve we don’t know. If he has a rep as a lady-killer, don juan kind of dude, all the girls would hear about it through the grapevine – even if it wasn’t through any official channel. All that is his business. He may have been proud of it, too. The ladies, who are of age to decide whom they choose to sleep with, and what they want to believe from a known scallywag should be very wary.
I think he was free to do whatever he wanted. At least up until he decided to get married. Now, however, he needs to stop or get divorced. Because of the fairness and trust he promised in his marriage, and for any possible future children. If he can’t do this without professional help, get some counseling.
HIs wife may choose to look the other way, or she may be mad as hell and won’t take it anymore. What about her family? What about his? How can he look them in the eye? He has to be in a very dark and dirty dog house right now. No matter how much pull he has in the business world, no sister or brother in law is going to let him off easy.
IF LBH did the things he is being accused of, I hope she does leave him. But it’s so sad to me the way so many people are jumping to fillet him, when none of us know what happened. Trial by media/netizens is a powerful thing, why don’t people withhold their scathing opinions until there is some proof?? Anyone can say something like this, it doesn’t make it true. This hysteria certainly doesn’t help Lee Min Jung. I am not defending LBH as a fan girl, I just think everyone/anyone deserves a fair trial, not this frenzy of hate.
I agree with what you’ve said. Thanks for the voice of reason. I’m not a fan girl of any of the parties involved but I’m somewhat dismayed by the rush to judgement and the level of antipathy directed his way with what is worse, the guy that “cheats” or the woman who knows he’s married and cheats with him anyway? Both are despicable.
The fact that Lee Min Jung is not coming out all fired up to defend her man (so to speak) is quite telling.
I don’t know if he cheated or not, and those girls have no business blackmailing him. However, there’s something really fishy about a 44 year old man drinking with two twenty-somethings in an apartment while his wife is out of town. Like what circumstances would a situation like that happen without some sketchy activity happening?
So it sounds more like Ji Yeon (The Model) is the one who did the blackmailing and Nana only recorded but did not blackmail? LBH was right in going public and having the girls prosecuted, once someone blackmail you once, they will keep on blackmailing you each time they need money.
As for the marriage, will LBH and LMJ are the ones to decide and know what really goes on in closed doors about their marriage. LMJ might be laughing all the way to the bank to have married a rich guy, even if she came from a rich family, she may not be the heiress to her family’s fortune? Not sure how Korean family’s are, but normally the girls in a family don’t get much in asian countries. I am not a big fan of any of the parties involved, but seriously, why are people surprised that a Entertainment Artist is having an affair? As far as the age difference? After a person turn 18 or become a legal adult, they should be held accountable to their own actions. The girls definitely knew what they were doing. However, perhaps NANA can now claim she did not do the blackmailing, she just recorded the conversation so that she can prove that LBH was being a slime ball?
Ugh.. if this is true. What a nasty man. Poor LMJ, but all I can say is “run away from him fast!”