Since the 2018 'Actress Scandal' Controversy, Various Allegations Raised
"Threatened That Putting You in Jail Is No Big Deal"
"Aren't Single Mothers Eligible for Government Disaster Relief Funds?" Policy Criticism
"Pretending to Sacrifice for the People... Should Be Ashamed"
Actor Kim Bu-seon, who filed a lawsuit claiming damages against Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is speaking to reporters before attending a trial at the Seoul Eastern District Court on the 21st. On the left is lawyer Kang Yong-seok. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Actress Kim Booseon, who filed a 300 million KRW damages lawsuit against Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, has been raising various allegations targeting Governor Lee day after day. Some netizens point out that Kim might be speaking with a specific intention. This is because Kim suddenly brings up "strong stories" just when she seems to be forgotten, and the subjects she mentions are related to Governor Lee and political issues.
Looking at some of Kim’s past statements, most of her targets have been focused on Governor Lee. Previously, during the so-called "actress scandal" in 2018, Kim claimed in an interview with KBS News that Governor Lee threatened her to silence her.
At the time, she said, "(Governor Lee) threatened me by saying, 'The chief prosecutors at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office are my friends, and since you have many marijuana convictions, it’s no big deal to pin something on you and put you in jail,'" and added, "(Governor Lee treated me) like an erotic actress... a woman of the streets," she lamented.
She then emphasized repeatedly that her claims were true, saying, "I can no longer hide or avoid this. If this is a lie, I will be punished by heaven, and even if I am immediately arrested, I cannot help it. I am a living witness."
Actor Kim Bu-seon / Photo by Yonhap News
In September of the same year, Kim filed a damages lawsuit at the Seoul Eastern District Court, claiming that Governor Lee had caused her mental and economic harm by labeling her as a pathological liar and habitual drug user during the actress scandal allegations.
She also filed criminal complaints against Governor Lee for violating the Public Official Election Act and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. However, she later withdrew the defamation complaint, saying she no longer wanted to be harassed, and the prosecution dismissed the Public Official Election Act violation charge due to lack of evidence proving the scandal.
Nevertheless, Kim did not stop "attacking Lee Jae-myung." In September last year, amid hardships caused by the spread of COVID-19, she criticized Governor Lee by asking, "Am I, an unemployed actor and single mother, eligible for government disaster relief funds or not?"
In a post on Facebook at the time, she wrote, "I have no income, so I endure by taking out a housing loan from the bank every year. Thinking about the interest and money makes me nauseous," and questioned, "Now the war in daily life has begun, a great fear has come. The war against germs, what happened to the K-quarantine that the world praised?"
She then said, "Now, I ask Lee Jae-myung," urging him to respond, "Answer me, fake bachelor."
Meanwhile, Kim also poured criticism on Governor Lee at the first hearing of the damages lawsuit held on the 21st.
Attending with her legal representative, lawyer Kang Yongseok, she targeted Governor Lee, saying, "You act as if you are sacrificing for the people, but a man should at least comfort the wounds of the woman who met you and send a sack of rice," and told him to "be ashamed."
She continued, "I met Lee Jae-myung, I know his physical secrets, I know the secrets of Lee Jae-myung’s family, and when I fought with Lee Jae-myung, I received curses and threats as harsh as those from a sister-in-law (from Governor Lee). It was so infuriating that I changed my phone number and lived alone in the provinces," and shed tears, saying, "This is too miserable and humiliating for an old lover who accepted unconditionally for over a year."
She also appealed, "Regardless of my intentions, I got caught up in a political fight. Former lawmaker Kim Younghwan triggered the incident without consulting me, and because of that, I lost my daughter whom I raised alone for 30 years without a husband. My family is ashamed and does not contact me even during holidays," and pleaded, "Please do not politicize the trial and let this poor actress be compensated for her unfairness, even if it is with money."
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