| Lee Young-ha, left, and Lee Mi-yeon in the TV drama 'Ways of Love' on MBC. / Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
A former actress and beauty queen has accused veteran actor Lee Young-ha of sexual harassment.
The unidentified woman won a Miss Korea pageant in her teens in the 1980s and then turned to acting.
She told a TV Chosun news show that after appearing on several TV shows, she was working with Lee on a photo shoot. After the project, he invited her to a hotel suite in Yeouido, Seoul.
"I remember him forcing me to lie down on a bed and attempting to rape me," she said. "I kept asking him to spare my life."
After the incident, the woman said she stayed away from the showbiz industry.
The woman also said that when she recently contacted Lee online, he
sounded more flirtatious than apologetic.
"He replied, 'Long time no see! It has been 35 years, right? Let's meet up, grab a bite and let me apologize," he allegedly replied. "Let me know when you are available and I will contact you."
The woman said she was so upset at his attitude that she ignored him at first.
Lee then sent her a message, which enraged her more.
"He said, 'I want to apologize sincerely to you. I am lying down out of fatigue,'" she said. But she said he did not sound serious.
She demanded sincerely apology from Lee.
"It is really unfair to expect me to pity and sympathize with him after all he did to me."
She said the sexual harassment had left an indelible mark on her.
Lee, 68, debuted as a musical actor in 1968 and moved to movies in 1988, appearing mainly as a romantic hero.
Enjoying his heyday during the 1980s-'90s, he also played action heroes. But after 2008, when he underwent hip surgery, he stopped appearing in action roles.
Lee won South Korea's reputable Dae Jong Film Award in 1986, 1987 and 1991, and won the Baeksang Arts Award in 1986. To date he has starred in more than 100 movies and TV shows.
Lee married actress Sunwoo Eun-sook in 1981, but they divorced in 2007. Their son, Lee Sang-won, is also an actor.
Known as a big drinker, Lee and then-Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin went on a binge arranged by Cheong Wa Dae in 1992.
In December 2017, Lee debuted as a singer. He released a ballad that depicted the ups and downs in his career and romantic life.