Lee Ji Yeon, the model accused of blackmailing actor Lee Byung Hun, spoke up about her motivations in court. Lee Byung Hun has denied her claims with his legal team saying such claims could be considered defamation.

The first hearing of the celebrity blackmail case took place on Oct. 16 in Seoul District Court. The prosecution said that Lee Ji Yeon and GLAM's Kim Dahee met Lee Byung Hun in July through a mutual friend whose last name is Seok.

When the actor texted Lee Ji Yeon that he did not want to see her again, the women asked him for $5 million or she would release video footage of a sexually explicit conversation he engaged in.

That much both sides agree on.

However the model claimed that she and the actor were seeing each other. According to a report in the Korea Herald, Lee Ji Yeon said the actor wanted a more intimate relationship. When she said no, he said he would not see her again.

Lee Ji Yeon's legal team also denied that she asked him for money or demanded that he buy her a house.

"It was Lee Byung Hun who coaxed Lee Ji Yeon to look for a new house when he was demanding a sexual relationship from her," the model's attorney said in court.

"He told me he would find a house for me and even demanded that we have deep skinship when we were dating," said Lee Ji Yeon. "We even had a quarrel in the process."

The lawyer representing Kim Dahee said that the singer and actress did not know it would be illegal to sell the video footage to the media outlet Dispatch.

"I committed the crime thinking that my close unni had been fooled by Lee Byung Hun," said Dahee in court. "I also thought I could make money with the video. I didn't think that it was illegal to do so."

The two women hoped to make $1 million by selling the footage to the Dispatch.

Lee Byung Hun denied what his alleged blackmailers said. His agency, BH Entertainment, told Newsen on the day of the trial that the blackmailers made statements that cannot be proven and were designed to potentially lighten their punishment.

"It could even be considered a type of defamation," said the BH representative. "Nothing has changed on our end. Lee Byung Hun is the undeniable victim. It is unfortunate that the focus is being shifted in the wrong direction and the essence of this incident is being forgotten."

The second hearing takes place on Nov. 11. Seok, the person who introduced Lee Ji Yeon and Kim Dahee to Lee Byung Hun, will testify.