Korean actor Lee Cheol-woo has denied any connections to Jung Joon-young's 'Burning Sun Gate' group chat.
Lee Cheol-woo, who’s currently seen in the K-Drama, ‘Lovely Runner’, has denied any association with the notorious Burning Sun scandal, amidst renewed accusations stemming from a recent BBC documentary released Sunday. In a statement released on May 20, the actor has firmly rejected all allegations tying him to the infamous scandal, affirming his innocence amidst intense backlash.
For those unfamiliar, the Burning Sun scandal shook the entertainment industry by its core in 2019, implicating individuals in sex solicitation, illicitly recorded sexual videos, and corruption, including Jung Joon-young, BIGBANG’s Seungri, as well as business figures and police officials. These videos were disseminated within Jung Joon-young’s KakaoTalk group chat, which was exposed during investigations into the scandal. And it’s with this chat that Lee Cheol-woo is being associated with.
Taking to his Instagram on Monday, the actor stated, “I would like to reiterate that I was not included in the chat room as I had stated through my agency at the time.”
He clarified that he was indeed in an online chat room with Jung Joon-young, but solely for professional purposes. “The chat room I’m referred to as having been in during the incident was specifically for sharing the schedule and content needed for filming when I appeared on the JTBC show ‘Hitmaker’ in 2016. We didn’t talk about anything private other than what was related to the program, and the chat room ended after the program was over,” he continued to say.
The caption concluded by saying, “It is not just me, but also my family and acquaintances who are suffering from years of false information and malicious comments. We sincerely ask you to refrain from making reckless speculations, and we will strongly respond to malicious comments and sharing of false information from here on.”
This marks his second explanation, the first being in April 2019 when he initially faced accusations of involvement in the notorious ‘Burning Sun Gate’ group chat room with many others. At that time, his agency strictly clarified that he was neither a part of the group nor has filmed or distributed any illicit or inappropriate content. It was also reported that Cheol-woo had not been contacted by law enforcement or other relevant institutions related to the case.