Reports: Hospital manager still suing ex-footballer Lee Dong-gook for attempted fraud

Former footballer Lee Dong-gook [NEWS1]

The hospital manager who sued former footballer Lee Dong-gook has not dropped the lawsuit against him, contrary to the manager’s statement last month, according to news reports Thursday.

The hospital manager, identified only as Kim, sued Lee and his wife on Dec. 15, alleging Lee tried to deceive the hospital for money.

The suit followed an earlier legal dispute between the two parties over whether Kim violated Lee and his family’s personality rights by using the family’s photos for commercial purposes without consent.

Lee's agency, Think Entertainment, said in a December press release that Kim relayed to them they would be withdrawing the suit, saying the situation stemmed from a misunderstanding.

But media reports surfaced Thursday saying Kim did not withdraw the lawsuit.

“Lee and his wife have found out that Kim turned over Kim's withdrawal Thursday through media reports,” Think Entertainment said in a release the same day. “The couple is currently baffled by the situation.”

“The company asks Kim to stop using the media to defame Lee and to stop all malicious acts to damage Lee’s reputation,” the agency added.

The agency also said in the release that it will take all legal actions to prevent this type of media abuse from damaging celebrities.

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