Woman Exposes Her “Romance” With Actor Lee Dong Wook, Larger Issue Uncovered

The internet makes connecting with people easier than ever, but it also poses many dangers. One source of trouble is scammers, who have become increasingly creative in their methods of reaching potential victims, including through romance scams, which have taken off, with people pretending to be someone else to trick people into sending them money.

Recently, Lee Dong Wook was unexpectedly pulled into one of these schemes.

In an SBS report, a woman in her 30s shared that she had been dating a famous actor for over a year and had sent him millions of won during the relationship. She shared proof of the relationship, including screenshots of chats with an individual she believed to be Lee Dong Wook.

Images sent to her appeared to be created by AI.

In total, the woman believes she sent the fake Lee Dong Wook around ₩35.0 million KRW (about $25,400 USD), and also reveals that she withdrew money from her savings account.

Mr. Lee Dong Wook kind of confessed to me, you know. We even talked about visiting my parents together and having our families formally meet. That’s how far things progressed. So, we ended up becoming romantically involved. He said, ‘I love you, honey.’ I called him ‘oppa,’ and he called me ‘jagiya.’ We talked to each other like that for nearly a year. I spent around 30 to 40 million won. I even broke my regular savings account and used money meant for my living expenses. In total, I gave him 35 million won.

— Victim

The report focused on informing viewers about romance scam tactics and how to avoid falling for them.

On September 16, King Kong by Starship, Lee Dong Wook’s agency, released a statement addressing the impersonation of its artists.

Artists under King Kong by Starship do not ask for money, payment, personal information, or other valuables through personal messaging apps or social media accounts.

— King Kong by Starship

It also requested that any believed impersonations be reported to the agency.