The ongoing controversy surrounding South Korean actor Lee Yi Kyung has taken a new turn with fresh statements from the German woman involved, identified only as "A". In an interview released on November 26th on the YouTube channel "Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho," A claimed that Lee Yi Kyung initiated contact and requested a selfie. This contradicts earlier reports and adds another layer of complexity to the already convoluted situation.
According to A, she first contacted Lee in February of last year after watching one of his dramas. She stated that she did not expect a reply but was surprised when Lee responded, inquiring if she was indeed German and asking for a selfie, which she then sent. This detail is significant because Lee Yi Kyung's agency had previously suggested that A initiated the exchange with explicit or revealing photos, a claim she vehemently denies. "That is not true," she asserted in the interview.
The controversy initially erupted on October 20th when A posted on her Naver blog, titled "Revealing the True Face of Lee Yi Kyung". The post included screenshots of alleged KakaoTalk and Instagram messages between her and the actor. These screenshots purportedly contained requests for explicit photos, profanity, sexually suggestive comments, and photos that appeared to show Lee on set and in selfies.
Lee Yi Kyung's agency, Sangyoung ENT, responded on November 3rd by announcing that they had submitted evidence to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station and filed complaints against individuals who uploaded or circulated the posts, accusing A of blackmail and defamation by spreading false information. Lee himself addressed the situation in an Instagram post on November 21st, expressing his anger and frustration. He criticized A's "unpredictable appearance and disappearance" and vowed to pursue legal action, even if it meant traveling to Germany. He has also stepped down from MBC's 'Hangout with Yoo' after three years and his planned appearance on KBS2's 'The Return of Superman' was also canceled.
A has addressed Lee's legal action, stating that she has not yet received official documents but plans to monitor the situation and respond accordingly. She also explained that she initially emailed Lee's agency in May because some of the messages she received were so strange that she suspected his account might have been hacked. She claims she contacted the company hoping to verify who she was communicating with, as Lee seemed like a kind person.
Adding another twist to the narrative, A had previously claimed that the screenshots were fabricated using artificial intelligence (AI), only to retract that statement later. She explained that she initially lied out of fear of legal repercussions but now insists that the evidence is genuine.
A stated that she decided to speak out because she did not want others to experience similar situations. According to her, the conversation started positively but gradually became more sexual. She initially felt flattered by the attention from an actor, but the messages became increasingly explicit and eventually made her afraid. She hopes that Lee Yi-Kyung "never says 'X I will do' to a woman again and that he lives well".
The case remains under investigation, and the conflicting accounts and shifting statements from both parties have created a complex and confusing situation. The public awaits further developments as the legal proceedings unfold.
