According to Korean media outlet Newsen, actor Lee Byung Hun has filled out forms requesting a pardon for the women convicted of attempting to blackmail him. He does not want model Lee Ji Yeon and ex-GLAM member Da Hee to spend time in jail.
On January 15, Lee Ji Yeon and Da Hee were convicted of trying to extort money from the actor. Da Hee was sentenced to a year in prison. Lee Ji Yeon was sentenced to a year and two months.
The case began in September of 2014 when the actor told the police that Lee Ji Yeon and Da Hee had attempted to blackmail him. He reported that they asked for $5 million or they would release video footage of him engaging in a sexually explicit conversation. He refused to be blackmailed and reported the incident to the police.
Lee Ji Yeon and Da Hee were arrested and tried, appearing in court on three different occasions before being sentenced in January. During the trial Lee Ji Yeon insisted that the blackmail was done in retaliation for Lee Byung Hun breaking up with her. He denied having a love affair with her. While he admitted to socializing with the women, he said he stopped seeing them when he learned of their financial problems.
According to nate.com, after the sentencing a prosecution spokesperson said that there was evidence to support a premeditated attempt to blackmail the actor.
"The co-defendants recognized him as a target for blackmail from the beginning, even though it ended as an attempt" said the prosecution spokesperson. "They asked for $5 million and used a private video to threaten him."
Both women have appealed their conviction. They also both apologized with Da Hee submitting more than a dozen letters of apology to the court.
Lee Byung Hun is currently living in the U.S. with his pregnant wife, actress Lee Min Jung. The couple is expecting their first child in April. Lee Min Jung plans to return to Korea for the birth.
What do you think of Lee Byung Hun's request for pardon? Does he sincerely want the women not to be punished? Is it part of a public relations campaign to save his image? Or could he be feeling sorry for his blackmailers and their families now that he is about to become a father for the first time?
Let us know what you think?
