A House And Another Woman May Factor In The Lee Byung Hun Blackmail Case

The Seoul Prosecutor's office has stated that while there is enough evidence to prosecute model Lee Ji Yeon and GLAM member Dahee for attempting to blackmail Lee Byung Hun, there is no evidence that the actor and Lee ever had an affair.

Lee Ji Yeon's lawyers claimed that the model only tried to blackmail the actor as an emotional response to the break up of an alleged three-month-long relationship. The 44-year-old actor, who married actress Lee Min Jung last year, denied that he had a romantic relationship with the 24-year-old model. He said that he knew Lee Ji Yeon and Dahee through a mutual friend and had attempted to distance himself from them when he realized they had financial problems. 

According to the Korea Herald, prosecutors said that the women met Lee Byung Hun at a July 1 dinner gathering and subsequently met him several times later for drinks. The women thought that he was interested in an intimate relationship with Lee Ji Yeon. They allegedly conspired to blackmail him, setting up a smartphone to catch candid shots should he decide to initiate a relationship. But, according to the prosecution, there is no evidence that the relationship ever happened.

After Lee Ji Yeon reportedly asked Lee Byung Hun for a house, he messaged her that he did not wish to see her again.

The two women then reportedly decided to use a conversation between them to attempt to blackmail the actor, demanding $5 million. The actor refused and reported the case to the police.

A search warrant was issued for the women's homes and the prosecutors decided there was enough evidence to detain the women. Since then Lee Ji Yeon and Dahee have admitted to some of the charges. Dahee and Lee Ji Yeon were reportedly in debt and saw blackmail as a solution to their financial problems.

According to the Dispatch, a third woman was also involved in the case. The woman, known only as "A" was the person who introduced Lee Byung Hun to Lee Ji Yeon. The mystery woman was also present at future meetings between them. Sources told the Dispath that Lee Byung Hun was with "A" on the day that Lee Ji Yeon and Dahee said they would release the video. He asked "A" for help and decided after their discussion to report the incident to the police.

Lee Byung Hun's wife Lee Min Jung was visiting friends in Paris when the scandal first broke. After the incident was reported, she chose not to return to the home she shared with her husband and instead went to live at her parents' home.