Lee Da Hae Takes Action Against Slanderous Prostitution Ring Rumors

"My Girl" star Lee Da Hae is the latest female celebrity to take legal action against malicious rumors that she was involved in a prostitution ring.

The rumors began because the Suwon District Public Prosecutor's Office was investigating an actual prostitution ring. Not enough evidence was gathered to issue any arrest warrants but the case generated plenty of rumors about the celebrities that were supposedly involved. A phony list of celebrities under investigation began to circulate on the Internet.

The list included 30 female celebrities allegedly involved in the ring. It included actresses Yoon Eun Hye, Lee Da Hae and Kim Sarang, singer Sol Bi and comedian Jo Hye Ryun. But the list was fictitious. The police have since stated that the list was not in any way associated with their actual investigation. None of the women they were investigating were celebrities. Some might be aspiring actresses and models but none could be considered actual celebrities.

So far a few of the celebrities have taken legal action against those posting the rumors.

Lee Da Hae's legal team recently released a statement.

"It has gotten to a point where the rumors cannot be ignored. We must consider that there may be similar situations in the future, so we will take legal action to make this case into an example."

On a recent episode of  "One Night of TV Entertainment," reporters from major Korean media outlets discussed the case, saying that the women who were involved were not stars.

"To prevent further damage and spread of such baseless rumors, we will be taking strong legal action against netizens guilty of instigating and spreading these false allegations," said Lee Da Hae's legal team.  "Lee Dae Hae is a celebrity who has been very tolerant about malicious rumors and attacks directed at her. However, this time the situation is completely out of control. We feel that we couldn't just take this matter lightly anymore. We will take legal actions to make an effective example."

The actress' legal team threatened to file a lawsuit against anyone leaving rumors.

"As for those who continue to leave comments regarding the issue, we've submitted sufficient evidence to the police for investigation," said a statement by her legal team. "To those directly involved in damaging Lee Da Hae's reputation, we are prepared to charge them with libel. We hope to completely eliminate this problem."

Last year saw a marked increase in celebrities fighting back against slander. Celebrities that took legal action against malicious rumors in 2013 include Baek Ji Young, IU and Song Hye Kyo. Posting career damaging negative remarks online can be considered slander. Such remarks are easier to trace than you might imagine. And when the slanderers are caught they can face a large fine and even jail time.