Greek Media "Ida-yeong's Life Presumed to Be Unstable"
Lee Jaeyoung and Dayoung, twin sisters seeking to join the Greek women's professional volleyball league, are leaving the Embassy of Greece in Seoul Jung-gu after completing their consular interview for employment visa issuance on the 12th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Greek media have critically reported on the domestic violence controversy surrounding volleyball player Lee Dayoung, who is preparing to move to Greece alongside her twin sister Lee Jaeyoung following a school violence scandal. Initially, Greek media had shown a favorable attitude toward Lee Dayoung, but after the emergence of the domestic violence controversy following the school violence issue, they are now expressing a skeptical response.
The Greek media outlet 'Poston Sports' reported on the 13th (local time) an article titled "Lee Dayoung abused her ex-husband." The outlet stated, "Lee Dayoung's transfer from Korea to PAOK Thessaloniki appears to be facing 'criminal issues'." Lee Dayoung has agreed to sign a contract with the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki along with her sister Lee Jaeyoung.
Previously, this media had published an article seemingly defending the Lee sisters regarding the school violence controversy, saying, "It is harsh to end an athlete's career over incidents that happened in childhood." However, it appears they have changed their stance due to multiple controversies.
The outlet added, "Lee Dayoung's husband filed a lawsuit against her for mental and physical abuse, demanding 500 million KRW in damages," and "It is presumed that Lee Dayoung's life is somewhat unstable." However, in reality, Lee Dayoung's husband has not yet filed a lawsuit against her.
Despite these controversies, the media predicts that Lee Dayoung will have no significant difficulties playing in the Greek league. The outlet stated, "The club is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two players in Greece," and "The twins will soon be wearing the PAOK uniform."
Another Greek media outlet, 'Law and Order,' also reported on the various controversies surrounding Lee Dayoung in an article titled "PAOK Player's Affair Scandal" on the 11th.
Law and Order reported, "The school violence controversy dealt a huge blow to the two players," and "Meanwhile, Lee Dayoung has become embroiled in another controversy."
They continued, "Lee Dayoung's ex-husband has accused her not only of mental and verbal abuse but also claims that Lee Dayoung committed infidelity."
Earlier, a man identified as Lee Dayoung's husband, Mr. A, claimed that he married Lee Dayoung in 2018 and has since suffered from habitual verbal abuse and violence.
In response, Lee Dayoung's side stated, "It is true that they were married and later agreed to divorce." Lee Dayoung's legal representative, the law firm Sejong, said in a press release on the 9th, "Mr. A repeatedly made unreasonable financial demands, such as requesting real estate owned by our client (Lee Dayoung) before marriage or 500 million KRW as a condition for divorce," and "When these demands were not met, he continuously harassed our client by threatening to expose their married life, exploiting the fact that our client is a public figure."
However, Mr. A rebutted, "Including the period we lived together, it amounts to about a year. I bore all the costs for the deposit on the newlywed home, newlywed appliances, and living expenses. The threat to expose our married life is completely untrue. I only requested living expenses for the period we lived together."
Meanwhile, in February, the Lee Jaeyoung and Dayoung sisters, who were embroiled in a school violence perpetrator controversy, were permanently stripped of their national team qualifications. Additionally, they were excluded from the 2021-2022 season's reserved players list of their original club Heungkuk Life, making it impossible for them to play domestically. Consequently, they partnered with a Turkish agency and agreed to sign with the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki.
However, their salaries have significantly decreased compared to when they played in the domestic league. While Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung received 600 million KRW (400 million KRW base salary, 200 million KRW options) and 400 million KRW (300 million KRW base salary, 100 million KRW options) respectively at Heungkuk Life, they reportedly signed contracts with PAOK for 60,000 euros (approximately 83 million KRW) and 35,000 euros (approximately 48 million KRW), respectively.
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