Suit against former footballer Lee Dong-gook dropped, agency says

Former footballer Lee Dong-gook [THINK ENTERTAINMENT]

The hospital manager who sued former footballer Lee Dong-gook will be dropping their lawsuit, Lee's agency Think Entertainment said Friday.

The hospital's manager, only identified by their last name, Kim, sued Lee and his wife on Dec. 15, alleging the former footballer tried to deceive the hospital for money.

The suit followed a past legal dispute between Kim and the couple over whether the hospital violated Lee and his family's personality rights by using the family's photos for commercial purposes, according to reports on Wednesday.

Kim's withdrawal comes a day after Lee's agency said Thursday the former footballer will sue Kim for defamation and false accusation.

"[The hospital's manager] said that [the situation] stemmed from [the manager's] misunderstanding and has relayed to us that [the manager] will be withdrawing the lawsuit against Lee Dong-gook and his wife," Think Entertainment said in a press release Friday.

Lee brought the dispute to an Incheon court to seek mediation last year, alleging the hospital used his family's photos without permission, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Kim, however, said Lee had been aware of his family's photos being used for the hospital's promotions and only asked for money after knowing Kim was going through a lawsuit with someone close to Lee's family.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]