Despite many scandals and controversies, Lee Byung Hun’s career is still thriving.
Lee Byung Hun is a special case in Korea’s entertainment industry. When he was young, he did not have a very prominent appearance. Lee Byung Hun‘s appearance was even considered “out of standard”. But who would have thought, it was that different appearance that made Lee Byung Hun stand out, even though it took him 9 years to initially achieve success. With the work “Joint Security Area” released in 2000, Lee Byung Hun gradually built a solid foothold. He captivated the audience with his diverse acting and masculine appearance. So far, Lee Byung Hun is still one of the rare actors in Korea who is successful in both movies and TV series.
The ladykiller of Korea’s entertainment industry
In addition to his acting career, the thing people remember most when mentioning Lee Byung Hun is his long list of girlfriends. He is Song Hye Kyo‘s first lover. However, their love story did not last long. Many years after breaking up, Song Hye Kyo still admitted that her first love caused her the most pain. After Song Hye Kyo, Kim Tae Hee, Choi Ji Woo, Yoon Eun Hye, Han Hyo Joo, Kim Min Hee,… are all names that have been entangled in dating rumors with Lee Byung Hun.
At a time when Lee Byung Hun was developing a career in Hollywood, he was accused by a non-celebrity ex-girlfriend of cheating. According to Kwon Mi Yeon, Lee Byung Hun had promised to marry her, so she was ready to give up her entire career abroad to return to Korea to live with Lee Byung Hun. Over time, he gradually turned cold towards her and treated her as if they didn’t know each other. Kwon Mi Yeon also asked Lee Byung Hun to compensate her 100 million won for mental damage. The lawsuit between the two then closed. There are many rumors that Lee Byung Hun had to spend a large amount of money to cover up the incident.
Even after he got married, he still got into trouble with women. When his wife Lee Min Jung was pregnant, Lee Byung Hun got into an alleged affair with two young female celebrities. Accordingly, Dahee (GLAM) and model Lee Ji Yeon used the video of Lee Byung Hun talking dirty with them to blackmail him 5 billion won in August 2014. After the scandal broke out, Lee Min Jung was rumored to have returned to her mother’s home. After a long time, Lee Byung Hun was proven innocent and the other two women were jailed for blackmailing. However, Lee Byung Hun‘s image was seriously tainted. Eventually, Lee Min Jung still forgave her husband and continued their marriage.
In addition to the love scandals, Lee Byung Hun was also accused of gambling and also appeared on the list of artists investigated for tax fraud in 2020. Specifically, Lee Byung Hyun bought a building worth 26 billion won in Yeongeungpo, Seoul but under the name of the family corporation in Gyeongido.
Overcoming all the adversities to become a legendary actor
Lee Byung Hun is a rare case of Korean screen. No matter how many scandals he was involved in, his career was still going well. After the most shocking scandal, almost divorcing his wife, he quickly rebuilt his reputation. At present, Lee Byung Hun is still called one of Korea’s best actors. He constantly stars in new projects and has a great impact on the industry. Currently, Lee Byung Hun is appearing in the drama “Our Blues”.
