Actor Lee Byung-hun sued by alleged booty call

Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun has been slapped with a lawsuit by a Korean-Canadian woman who claims she was duped into having a sexual relationship with the 39-year-old actor on the promise of marriage.

The woman identified as Kwon Mi-yeon, 22, took legal action yesterday with the Seoul Central District Court demanding that the star of the top rated television series "Iris" and G.I. Joe" pay her 100 million won citing physical damage and mental anguish as the basis for her lawsuit.

Lee`s agency released a statement acknowledging that the actor had a girlfriend - whom he dated between last autumn and this spring - but that he had not done anything "reproachable." They said they will bring an action of libel against the lawsuit.

Lee`s representatives also said that since November they had received anonymous calls threatening to expose their relationship

The male callers claimed to be acquaintances of the girlfriend and demanded 2 billion won for keeping quiet. Lee`s representatives said they will request an investigation be conducted.



Based on Kwon`s petition to the court, Newsis, a local wire, said in a report that Kwon was a rhythmic gymnast at York University and an active member of the Canadian National Gymnastics Team before she met Lee.

The report said that the two met last year in September while Lee was on a promotional tour for his film "The Good, The Bad and The Weird," in Toronto.

According to the report, Kwon was introduced to the actor through a mutual acquaintance and the two became close after she had been invited to various engagements with the actor.

Kwon claimed the two continued to stay in close contact even after Lee had left for New York after he had wrapped his promotional tour at the Toronto International Film Festival.

At the end of September, the two met again in Canada where the two began dating. Kwon continued to keep in contact with Lee through phone calls and email correspondence after the actor returned to Korea.

"At the end of last year when I visited Korea, I spent 10 days at (Lee`s) house in Bundang. (He) introduced me as his lover to his mother and younger sister as well as to his friends," Kwon said according to Newsis.

"Lee Byung-hun`s Korean-Japanese sponsor and businessman told me he would provide financial support for me to continue my studies and gymnastics career at a local university and told me to relocate here indefinitely," and added "to this (Lee) agreed so that`s how I came to move here."

After her move to Korea earlier in July, Kwon claims she had been evicted after less than three months from an apartment in Jamsil, southern Seoul that Lee and his sponsor had provided for her.

Since her move to Korea, she said Lee had a change of heart about their future and gave her 10 million won to move into a duplex unit in Bongchon-dong.

(kws@heraldm.com)



By Song Woong-ki