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'No leniency': Lee Yi-kyung sues woman behind sexual harrassment allegations

Published: 21 Nov. 2025, 18:24

LIM JEONG-WON
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Actor Lee Yi-kyung listens to a reporter's question at a press conference in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Jan. 15. [YONHAP]

Actor Lee Yi-kyung spoke out about the recent controversy surrounding his private life and subsequent departure from a show, saying he felt “furious” at every moment since the controversy broke out.

“The reason I haven't shared my side of the story until now is because my agency requested that I refrain from commenting until I've hired a lawyer and filed a criminal complaint against the person who spread the rumors,” Lee wrote on his Instagram on Friday.

“I visited the Seoul Gangnam Police Precinct a few days ago to give a plaintiff’s interview, relaying my position on the rumors and suing the person who spread them,” wrote Lee.

The controversy began when a woman who identified herself as a German citizen uploaded a series of posts on her personal blog on Oct. 20, accusing Lee of sexual harassment.

She uploaded screenshots of KakaoTalk and Instagram messages with someone believed to be Lee, including requests for photos of her body, profane messages and a selfie of Lee.

Lee's side immediately denied the claim. The author of the post then apologized and admitted that the images were AI-generated.

Through a social media post on Nov. 4, the woman said, “I am considering releasing more proof,” asserting, “[The screenshots were] not made with AI. It's unfair. They [Lee and his agency] made me look like the bad guy.”

The woman's social media accounts were later deleted.

Actor Lee Yi-kyung speaks to his mother on the phone upon receiving an award at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards on Dec. 31, 2021. [NEWS1]

Following the controversy, Lee left the popular MBC television variety show “Hangout with Yoo” (2019-) after a three-year run as a regular cast member.

“I was furious at every moment during this entire ordeal,” Lee wrote. “A person claiming to be German, whose identity I don't even know, repeatedly appeared and disappeared, just as they had sent threatening emails to my agency months ago. My agency tried to calm me down once again, saying there was no point in debating the truth about the false rumors.”

Lee assured fans that besides his departure from “Hangout with Yoo,” his other projects were going according to plan.

“The suspect will be identified soon after an arrest warrant is issued,” Lee wrote. “Even if they are in Germany, I will go there myself and sue them. Malicious commenters will also receive absolutely no leniency.”

Lee also thanked his fans who waited for him and believed in him through the ordeal.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]