Korean actor Lee Byung Hun was embroiled in a blackmail scandal since last year, where two younger women allegedly filmed him having a lewd conversation with them and subsequently blackmailing him for approximately KRW5 billion (S$6.16 million). The actor, who wed actress Lee Min Jung in 2013, publicly apologised to his wife for the scandal but denied cheating on her.
Model Lee Ji Yeon and GLAM’s Dahee were charged for blackmail and submitted 10 and 17 apology letters respectively to the court before their sentences were revealed today (Jan 15). The Department of Justice noted that despite them being found guilty of their charges, neither had criminal records and did not follow through with their threats.
However, they added that Lee Byung Hun suffered from emotional distress and public criticism as a result, adding that Lee Ji Yeon’s claims of sexual harassment by the actor were unfounded given that the two were in a relationship at the time. As such, Lee Ji Yeon will serve 14 months in prison, while Dahee will be imprisoned for a year.
Girl group GLAM, which Dahee is from, also announced their official disbandment today. Their former label, Big Hit Entertainment, confirmed that they obliged with the quartet’s request for their contracts to be terminated.
In unrelated news, Ladies’ Code’s manager was sentenced to 14 months in jail after the courts found him guilty of violating traffic laws. He was reportedly driving at 135km/h on an expressway that had a speed limit of 100km/h in the wee hours of a rainy morning when the accident occurred. Members RiSe and EunB passed away as a result.