Actor Lee Yi-kyung. Courtesy of ENA

Person A, who raised allegations about the private life of actor Lee Yi-kyung, has issued another statement.

On the 17th, A wrote on social networking service (SNS), “The point at which I felt there was a problem was a message I received in April this year. I judged that the tone of the conversation had clearly crossed a line at that point. So I thought I needed a record that could confirm it was the actor himself, and I immediately asked for a selfie.”

A added, “I do not think that the actor would have responded only to my DM,” and also said, “I received messages of support from a few people who had actually exchanged DMs with him, but I decided not to disclose those details because additional harm could occur.”

Regarding having previously stated that the messages in the expos about Lee Yi-kyung were AI-fabricated, A explained, “At first, out of fear, I explained that they were generated by AI, but I would like to state clearly once again to correct the facts.”

Lee Yi-kyung side did not offer a separate position on this. After private-life allegations were raised in October, they refuted them and moved to take legal action. Lee Yi-kyung recently submitted a complaint and completed complainant questioning, and it was reported that on the 21st of last month the court issued a search and seizure warrant in connection with the account of A.

Despite strong denials from Lee Yi-kyung side, A continues to issue statements, and the controversy has not been resolved. On top of this, the issue is spreading in various directions as even a behind-the-scenes theory has surfaced that Yoo Jae-suk was behind Lee Yi-kyung departure from MBC variety show ‘How Do You Play?’

About two weeks after the controversy began, Lee Yi-kyung announced he would leave ‘How Do You Play?’, which sparked debate over whether it was a forced exit. The production team said, “Lee Yi-kyung had long deliberated about participating in the program due to his schedule, including overseas plans, and recently expressed his intention to step down,” but controversy grew after Lee himself stated, “I was advised to step down and chose to leave voluntarily.”

Additionally, after the production team revealed that the ‘noodle slurping’ scene was staged at the urging of the production, allegations emerged that Yoo Jae-suk had pressed him to leave.

On the 16th, YouTuber Lee Jin-ho said, “People on Lee Yi-kyung side asked, ‘Who decided (the departure)?’, so the production said it was decided by higher-ups. After hearing this, Lee Yi-kyung asked repeatedly, ‘Who are the higher-ups? Is it Yoo Jae-suk? Is it what Yoo Jae-suk wants?’. The production did not answer to this.”

In response, Lee Yi-kyung agency stated regarding the production position, “We make it clear that there was absolutely no instance of asking back or inquiring whether that decision reflected Yoo Jae-suk opinion,” adding, “On the day the departure was conveyed, Lee Yi-kyung and Yoo Jae-suk spoke by phone and shared a conversation reflecting a sense of regret, and the call ended with an encouraging exchange of, ‘Let us meet later and talk.’ After that, Lee Yi-kyung did not mention Yoo Jae-suk even once.”

However, Lee Jin-ho later countered, “I was deeply shocked after seeing the official statement (from Lee Yi-kyung). I could not even imagine that the agency, which had confirmed the content I had reported, would issue such an official position,” so the controversy has not ended.