Lee Kun-hee, the bedridden chairman of Samsung Group, has got entangled in a sex scandal. Korean news outlet NewsTapa reported on July 21 that it had obtained from an anonymous informant video files showing Lee paying sex workers at home.
Airing some video clips, NewsTapa said, “The video footage indicates that Samsung Group chairman Lee had invited a group of sex workers to his home and paid them for sex for several years.
NewsTapa reported the video was filmed over five different occasions between December 2011 and June 2013 at Lee's residence in Samseong-dong and a secret rental home in Nonhyeon-dong, both in southern Seoul.
“Three to five women, presumably in their 20s and 30s, appear in the video each time.”
Newstapa reported that the dialogue between Lee and the women hinted that they were workers at bars or other entertainment establishments and Lee was aware of that. Each woman was paid around 5 million won by Lee, according to the news outlet.
Newstapa said experts had examined and analyzed the video in various ways for three months and found the video to have no signs of manipulation.
Newstapa also said that its investigation into the scandal revealed that the video was shot at Lee's residence in Samseong-dong and a secret rental home in Nonhyeon-dong. “There was circumstantial evidence that Samsung Group had been involved in renting the secret residence for Lee.
Newstapa said: “On July 19, we asked Samsung Group whether the group chairman's secretary office got involved in renting the secret residence and where the lump-sum deposit on the rental property, 1.3 billion won, came from. Samsung Group hasn’t responded to us until now, July 21. If the group chairman's secretary office had assisted Lee in procuring sexual services, Samsung Group should take legal and moral responsibility for that, too.”
Newstapa added: “One of the sex workers filmed the videos and she had accomplices. There was evidence that they attempted to blackmail Samsung by threatening to reveal the video.”
Samsung Group said: “We received a call demanding money in exchange for the video, but did not respond because we doubted the very existence of such a video. We neither called the cops nor tried to verify the existence of such a video.”
Samsung Group said on July 22, “We apologize for causing the stir involving Chairman Lee Kun-hee. However, the issue is Chairman Lee’s personal matter, so on behalf of Samsung Group we’ve got nothing further to say about that.”
