"The knife was drawn but not swung" ... Volleyball player Lee Jaeyoung to take legal action against school violence victim

Lee Jaeyoung Files Objection to Dismissal of Defamation Charges by School Violence Victim
Pepper Savings Bank Contacts Lee Jaeyoung Amidst Flood of Fan Protests

Volleyball players Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young, sisters embroiled in a school violence controversy, are moving to the departure area at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of October 16 last year to join the Greek Thessaloniki club PAOK. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] Volleyball player Lee Jaeyoung (26), who was expelled from the domestic professional volleyball (V-League) early last year after her history of school violence was revealed, is reportedly taking legal action against the victims of school violence.

According to MBC on the 20th, Lee Jaeyoung, who returned from Greece last November due to injury, is taking legal measures against the victims. The victims of school violence were cleared of charges in three police investigations regarding the false information spread by Lee Jaeyoung’s side, but Lee’s side immediately filed an objection with the prosecution for defamation and is also pressuring for a settlement.

Earlier, the Lee sisters, Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung, were embroiled in controversy after a post accusing them of school violence against juniors and classmates during middle school was posted online in February last year. Although the two admitted to the school violence, they filed a lawsuit against the victims, claiming some of the allegations were false.

At that time, Lee Jaeyoung claimed in an interview with a media outlet, "(Lee Dayoung) did not swing a knife. She was just holding it. We knelt down and apologized, and both cried and said 'sorry, it was wrong, no,' and resolved it well." Lee Dayoung also said, "There was absolutely no stabbing or putting a knife to the neck," adding, "She just held the knife and cursed."

As a result, the Lee sisters, who were active with Heungkuk Life, were indefinitely suspended from playing by Heungkuk Life. Afterwards, the sisters transferred together to Greece’s PAOK Thessaloniki. The younger sister Lee Dayoung moved from PAOK Thessaloniki to the Romanian league, while Lee Jaeyoung returned home in November last year due to a left knee injury and is undergoing rehabilitation treatment.

Meanwhile, when it became known that the professional volleyball team Pepper Savings Bank recently contacted Lee Jaeyoung, female volleyball fans strongly opposed it. The protest organizers explained the background of the condolence wreaths and truck protests, saying, "We can never accept a player who is a school violence perpetrator and caused various controversies including SNS attacks during her time on the team in team sports."