Lee Byung-hun questioned by authorities all night

Published on 2010/01/22 | Source

Korean actor Lee Byung-hun [Asia Economic Daily]

Top Korean actor Lee Byung-hun -- who is currently engaged in a legal battle with his former girlfriend -- was questioned by Korean authorities last night, according to a source at Seoul Central District Court.

"We summoned Lee and with his consent, held an investigation from 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening through 5 a.m. the next morning", an official with the Korean Prosecutors' Office was quoted as saying on Thursday. He explained that the night-long questioning was regarding the two lawsuits filed by the actor and one filed against him.

On December 8, a Korean-Canadian woman by the last name Kwon -- who claimed to be a former girlfriend of Lee's -- had filed a lawsuit against the Hallyu star, saying she was allured into a sexual relationship based on false promises of marriage. She asked to be paid KRW 100 million won in physical and psychological damages and also reported to authorities that the actor had taken part in illegal baccarat gambling overseas.

Lee took counter legal action through his legal representative Kim & Chang, suing the woman for libel and asking the police to investigate multiple threats that he had received regarding his relationship with Kwon.

A day after Kwon had filed the lawsuit, the actor and his agency BH Entertainment issued a press release claiming that anonymous male callers had been threatening to expose false details about the actor's relationship with Kwon unless Lee paid them KRW 2 billion won. The actor did however admit to having a romantic relationship with the woman in a hand-written message that he had posted on his official website.

Lee, 39, has long been considered one of the most successful actors in Korea with dozens of television dramas and films under his belt. He had a particularly successful year in 2009, making his Hollywood debut in action flick "G.I. Joe", co-starring with Josh Hartnett and Takuya Kimura in "I Come With The Rain". He also led a star-studded cast in blockbuster drama "IRIS", for which he picked up the grand prize at KBS Acting Awards.