2014: The Year In Scandals
The year started off quietly enough but by the end of the summer featured some disturbing k-drama scandals. It was also a year in which some stars, whose careers previously suffered from scandals, made their first steps toward a comeback.
The two biggest scandals of the year involved Kim Hyun Joong and Lee Byung Hun.
In August, a woman who claimed to have dated actor and singer Kim Hyun Joong filed charges against him at the Songpa Police Station. She claimed that Kim physically assaulted her on several occasions between May and July.
His agency, KeyEast Entertainment claimed that the charges were exaggerated. The actor did eventually admit to one occasion of physical violence, which was allegedly demonstrated in photos that the woman provided. He apologized publicly and in person to his ex-girlfriend. The charges were dropped but since the actor admitted to one incident of physical violence, the police have yet to officially close the case.
The Lee Byung Hun scandal happened at almost the same time. It began when the actor reported a blackmail incident to the police. He said that two women, GLAM's Da Hee and model Lee Ji Yeon asked for $5 million or they would release video footage, which involved him in a sexually explicit conversation. He refused and reported them. The women later claimed in court that the blackmail attempt was in retaliation for a break-up. They claimed that Lee Ji Yeon and Lee Byung Hun had an affair that the actor broke off suddenly. He denied there was ever an affair. As of the first week in December, the case had not been resolved.
In 2014, two other k-drama actors made steps to recover the damage that scandals did to their careers. In 2013, Park Shi Hoo was accused of sexual assault for relations he claimed were consensual. The accusations resulted in several lawsuits but the charges were all eventually dropped. The actor did not work in Korea for almost a year. He was offered a role in the drama "Golden Cross but declined, perhaps due to negative response from the public. He will make his Korean comeback with a role in the film "Love After Love," co-starring Yoon Eun Hye.
Actress Park Si Yeon visited court several times in 2013 due to accusations that she abused the anesthetic drug propofol. She said that the drug was prescribed by a physician due to pain suffered from previous on set injuries. The court found that she had abused the drug, whatever her original reasons for using it. She did not work for almost a year, caring for her husband and newborn child. She currently stars in the drama "The Greatest Marriage," expertly playing a woman who endures and survives the scandal of being a single mother.
