Lee Young-ae "Official Apology Request" Certified Letter
Actress Lee Young-ae has sent a certified letter denying the report by the YouTube channel Yeollin Gonggam TV that claimed she and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are acquaintances, calling it "fake news."
According to the JoongAng Ilbo on the 11th, Lee Young-ae, through her legal representative, the law firm Dadam, sent a certified letter on the 10th requesting the suspension of the broadcast and an apology from the YouTube channel Yeollin Gonggam TV.
Yeollin Gonggam TV is a YouTube media outlet operated by Jung Cheon-soo, the head of "The Tam-sa," which reported on President Yoon Suk-yeol's "Cheongdam-dong drinking party" allegations last year, and it has 750,000 subscribers.
On the 18th of last month, Yeollin Gonggam TV uploaded a video titled "Kim Keon-hee, Lee Young-ae, and Kim Haeng" to its YouTube channel. The video covered Lee’s donation of 50 million won to participate in the construction of the Syngman Rhee Presidential Memorial Hall and claimed that Lee has had a longstanding friendship with First Lady Kim.
The video explained, "Kim Keon-hee recruited Kim Beom-soo, a former SBS announcer, as an executive director at her company Kobana Contents. Kim Beom-soo is known to be a sworn brother of Jung Ho-young, chairman of Korea Raycom and husband of Lee Young-ae."
It continued, "In 2012, only a very small number of acquaintances were invited to the first birthday party of Chairman Jung Ho-young’s twins, and Kim Beom-soo attended the event accompanied by Kim Keon-hee. That is how Chairman Jung’s wife, Lee Young-ae, became acquainted with Kim Keon-hee," it claimed.
Furthermore, Yeollin Gonggam TV depicted Lee Young-ae as a regular attendee who cheered on and voluntarily promoted Kim Keon-hee’s Kobana Contents events on her social media, suggesting that Lee and the First Lady have maintained a close relationship since the birthday party.
Lee Young-ae denied the contents of the video as false. Her side first stated, "There was no occasion where First Lady Kim attended the twins’ first birthday party."
Regarding attendance at Kobana Contents events, they rebutted, "It was not because of a friendship with Kim Keon-hee. I went with an acquaintance interested in art. I have never personally posted or promoted photos of the exhibition on my social media."
Lee’s legal representative said, "There are problems with the entire broadcast content, but we are currently raising objections to two false claims," adding, "They are misleading public opinion with false information and defaming a mother of two children, causing harm as a public figure, so we are requesting an official apology."
Lee also stated in the certified letter sent to Yeollin Gonggam TV, "If the biased agitation by some media deceives good citizens and deepens division, it is undesirable for the future of the free Republic of Korea where our children will live," and urged, "We ask for the proper role of the media to promote national unity."
Previously, Lee Young-ae attracted attention for donating 50 million won to the construction of the Syngman Rhee Presidential Memorial Hall, but when criticism arose from some quarters, she expressed the position that "this is not to cover up mistakes."
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