A German woman identified as A, who previously uploaded private messages allegedly involving South Korean actor Lee Yi Kyung, shared her perspective in an interview released on November 26 on the YouTube channel Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho.
A stated that she had been in contact with Lee since February of last year. She said, “I reached out first after watching one of his dramas. I did not expect him to reply. He asked if I was really German and requested a selfie, so I sent one.”
She rejected the claim by Lee Yi Kyung’s agency that she had first sent explicit or revealing photos. She said, “That is not true.” She added that she decided to speak out because she did not want others to experience similar situations. According to her, the conversation started positively but gradually became more sexual. She said she initially felt flattered by the attention from an actor, but the messages became increasingly explicit and eventually made her afraid. She referred to screenshots she had already made public and said they contained comments that convinced her she had to reveal the situation.
After Lee Yi Kyung’s agency Sangyoung ENT described her claims as false and announced legal action, A posted an apology saying that some material had been manipulated with AI. She later explained that a Korean acquaintance had told her that everything would calm down in two weeks if she said it was AI-generated, and that doing so would prevent trouble for her.
A then reversed her statement again. She said she was worried that if another alleged victim appeared, people would blame her for saying the content had been produced by AI, so she released one final statement to clarify her position.
Lee Yi Kyung has filed a complaint accusing A of blackmail and defamation by spreading false information. A said she has not yet received official documents but plans to monitor the situation and respond once they arrive.
She also explained why she emailed Lee’s agency in May. She said some of the messages she received were so strange that she wondered if his account had been hacked. She said Lee appeared to be a kind person, so she contacted the company to check. After the email exchange, she became convinced that she had indeed been communicating with Lee.
She also claimed that one sexually explicit remark involving the phrase “doing something with three friends” made her feel afraid. She insisted that her email to the agency was not blackmail and that she never asked for money. She said she wanted to confirm whether she had been speaking to the real Lee Yi Kyung. She added that she felt shocked once she realized it was truly him.
A said she and Lee communicated for about one and a half years. Their conversations began on Instagram and later moved to KakaoTalk. Their last contact was in April or May of this year. She said the conversation ended after he told her he had returned from his grandfather’s funeral, and she sent her condolences.
She said she regrets that the situation became so large. She added that she hopes Lee does not make such explicit comments to women again and that he lives well.
On October 20, A posted an entry on her Naver blog titled 'Revealing the True Face of Lee Yi Kyung.' The post included screenshots of KakaoTalk and Instagram messages allegedly with the actor. The screenshots contained requests for explicit photos, profanity, sexually inappropriate comments, and photos appearing to show Lee on set and in selfies.
On November 3, Sangyoung ENT announced that it had submitted evidence to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station and filed complaints against the individuals who uploaded or circulated the posts. The agency rejected all allegations and stated that it has never pursued or considered any form of settlement or compensation and will not do so.
The controversy led Lee Yi Kyung to step down from MBC’s 'Hangout with Yoo' after three years. His planned appearance as a host on KBS2’s 'The Return of Superman' was also canceled.
On November 21, Lee posted a statement on Instagram. He said he had recently undergone questioning as the complainant and described feeling constant anger during the process. He criticized what he described as the unpredictable appearance and disappearance of “a person claiming to be a
German national," who had previously sent a threatening email to his agency. He said that once a warrant is issued, a suspect will be identified. He also said he plans to file complaints even if the individual is in Germany. He added that he will not show leniency toward malicious commenters.
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