Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[rubie]

November 20, 2014
Lee Byung-hun to arrive on the 21st to attend the court on the 24th
Source: SportsSeoul via Hancinema.net

Actor Lee Byung-hun arrived back in Korea on the 21st.

He'd been residing in LA with his wife Lee Min-jeong until then.
Lee Byung-hun left for LA as the California Tourism Board promotional ambassador on the 20th last month. As the trial date for model Lee Ji-yeon and Glam Dahee was changed to the 24th, he returned to Korea this morning to make an appearance.
However, the couple didn't arrive together.
According to sources, Lee Byung-hun returned alone after making the decision that he'd attend the trial.
Meanwhile, Lee Ji-yeon and Dahee attended court on the 16th last month and admitted to blackmailing Lee Byung-hun in the amount of 5 billion won, but claimed that the other details were different.

[rubie]

Published on Nov 20, 2014 by ystarnews 

November 21, 2014
Lee Byung Hun Secretly Returns to Korea and Will Attend Hearing
Newsen Jo Yeon Kyung  Translation Credit : Yeawon Jung
Lee Byung Hun has returned to Korea.
BH Entertainment, Lee Byung Hun’s agency, stated on November 21, “We’re making the announcement en bloc because we’ve received many inquiries. Lee Byung Hun entered Korea on November 21 at 6 a.m. (KST). We hope there are no misunderstandings in regards to his schedule.”
Having carried out his official and unofficial schedules in America, Lee Byung Hun will likely have no problem attending the trial on November 24, as he secretly returned to the country on November 21. During his stay with Lee Min Jung in America, Lee Byung Hun carried out his schedules as the honorary ambassador of California and wrapped up work for his Hollywood movie.
Lee Byung Hun’s agency previously stated, “We did not rearrange the schedules to avoid the trial on the 11th in the first place and have no reason to avoid it so we will definitely be attending the trial on the 24th,” adding, “Even if a special circumstance arises there is actually nothing more important than the trial right now. We will be attending after becoming familiar with information related to witness attendance.”
In September, Lee Byung Hun was the victim of attempted blackmail of 5 billion won by Glam’s Da Hee and model A. Da Hee and model A were arrested and charged for making a joint threat and the first round of trial was held on October 16, during which Da Hee and model A partly admitted to making a threat but also made new claims.
About this, the police requested Lee Byung Hun as the witness and the second trial was to be held on November 11 but when Lee Byung Hun gave a notice to not attend the trial due to his stay in America, it was postponed to November 24. On that day, Lee Byung Hun will be attending the trial himself.

[rubie]

November 21, 2014
Lee Byung-hun returns home without Lee Min-jung
Source: KPOPHERALD
Korean star Lee Byung-hun returned home alone from the U.S. on Friday to attend the hearing for the blackmail case. 
He left for California late last month to attend an event as an honorary ambassador of California. His wife followed a few days later. The return date of his wife has not been confirmed. 
Actor Lee is expected to attend the second hearing of his blackmail case on Monday. 
“Lee will make some schedule changes to attend the trial as a witness,” the agency said. “This will be the first and last time that he will attend the trial.” 
While the date of the hearing was scheduled to be held last week, it was later postponed to Monday. The hearing will be held behind closed doors. The first hearing last month was open to public. 
Actor Lee accused model Lee Ji-yeon and girl group GLAM member Kim Dae-hee of blackmailing him for 5 billion won ($4.7 million) in return for a video footage that the women secretly took of him. In the video clip, he was having a sexual conversation with the two accused, sources said. 
Yet, the controversy over the blackmail case faced a new row after model Lee claimed that she actually had been in a relationship with actor Lee for a few months. The actor flatly denied such claims. 

[rubie]

November 22, 2014
Lee to attend blackmail trial
Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

Actor Lee Byung-hun will show up for a Nov. 24 trial in the case against two women who allegedly blackmailed him for 5 billion won ($4.5 million). 
In order to participate in the trial, Lee came back to Korea early Friday morning after a monthlong stay in the United States. The “G.I. Joe” actor was in Hollywood to discuss future projects there. 
But his actress wife, Lee Min-jeong, who went to Los Angeles in October to spend some time with Lee, did not return. 
According to close aides of Lee, the 44-year-old actor recently changed his mind about not showing up for the trial in order to clear up all the rumors surrounding him. 
Lee was summoned by the Seoul Central District Court as a witness when the first trial took place in October, but he did not show up in court, citing his schedule in the United States. 
The legal battle involving Lee began when model Lee Ji-yeon, 25, and Da-hee, 20, a member of the girl group GLAM, were accused of threatening to release a video clip of Lee in August in which he is allegedly drinking alcohol and using lewd language. 
The 25-year-old model insists she was in a romantic relationship with the Korean Wave actor. She also said during the first trial that the actor said he wanted to buy her a house to “develop their relationship further.” The actor’s lawyer has denied these claims. 

[rubie]

November 21, 2014
Why So Many Actors Have Played Prince Gwanghaehttp://www.kdramastars.com/articles/55157/20141121/why-so-many-actors-have-played-prince-gwanghae.htm

Viewers who watch historical dramas about royalty know that when a king has children with a queen, a consort and then some concubines, there may be trouble down the line. The king can name a crown prince as his successor, but if that son is only a concubine's child, some may say that he has no right.
That's what happened to Prince Gwanghae and the fact that he did become a king, even though he was a concubine's son, may be the reason that so many actors like to play him.
So far, his story has been portrayed by actors Ji Sung, Lee Byung Hun, Lee Sang Yoon, and most recently by Seo In Guk.
The second son of King Seongjo and Lady Kim, a concubine, he became the 15th king of the Joseon dynasty, but the road to the throne was a rocky one and he was eventually deposed.
Gwanghae grew up in a time of poisonous royal plots that turned parents against children and brothers against each other. No one would argue that Gwanghae was not a troubled king but he was born in troubled times and his bad deeds often overshadow his good ones. Some historians argue that he did a good job of caring for his country, instituting positive reforms and protecting the country from invasion.
Whatever history thinks of him, he makes a great character for actors to play.
Ji Sung played Gwanghae in the drama "The King's Woman." The film focused on Lady Kim, the prince's mother and all the acts of immorality and bloodshed various royals took to protect the throne.

Lee Byung Hun played Gwanghae in the 2012 film "Masquerade." In that film Gwanghae is already king and he is so worried about assassination, he finds a double to stand in for him.
Lee Sang Yoon played the prince as a young man in the drama "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji." In that drama he was in love with the talented potter played by Moon Geun Young. Despite his love for her, he has to let her go.
Seo In Guk is the latest actor to attempt the role, playing the prince in "The King's Face." In the very first episode of the drama, it's easy to see how apprehensive the prince is. He lives with a very paranoid and unpredictable father. Although he thinks his father loves him, any day could be his last. Seo In Guk does a good job of portraying the anxious prince who later becomes the troubled king. 

[rubie]

November 24, 21014
Source: Nate

[rubie]

Source: SBS 

[rubie]

Source: SportsSeoul

[rubie]

November 24, 2014
Lee Byung-hun shows up in court
Source: KPOPHERALD
Hallyu actor Lee Byung-hun showed up in a Seoul court for the first time on Monday, in order to provide a witness testimony to the celebrity blackmailing case against model Lee Ji-yeon and Dahee of girl group GLAM. 
Lee, 44, entered the court at around 1:37 p.m. accompanied by six to seven staff members, including his managers and bodyguards. The court decided to keep the court hearing as a closed-door process, citing that the occasion can deteriorate the prevalent morality of the time, if it were held in public.
The scandal-mired star remained silent against the pouring questions from the media, including the allegations that he offered to buy a house to model Lee Ji-yeon as well as his thoughts on the blackmailing case. 

Actor Lee Byung-hun enters the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to testify in the case against model Lee Ji-yeon and Kim Da-hee of girl group GLAM. The two female defendants are alleged to have attempted to blackmail Lee Byung-hun for 5 billion won ($4.5 million) in exchange for a video clip containing lewd remarks made by the 44-year-old actor. (OSEN)
The court hearing comes after Lee accused model Lee and Da-hee of blackmailing him for 5 billion won ($4.7 million) in return for a video footage that the women secretly took of him. In the video clip, he was having a sexual conversation with the two accused, sources said. 
Yet, the controversy over the blackmail case faced a new row after model Lee claimed that she actually had been in a relationship with actor Lee for a few months. The actor flatly denied such claims.

[rubie]

Source: As stated, via Nate

[rubie]

Lee Byung-hun at court

Actor Lee Byung-hun enters a courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Nov. 24, 2014. Lee filed a lawsuit against two women in their 20s, a singer and a model, who allegedly blackmailed him for millions of dollars over a video clip of the three exchanging lewd jokes. (Yonhap) (END)

[rubie]

[rubie]

[rubie]

November 25, 2014
Lee Byung-hun Testifies in Blackmail Trial
Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Actor Lee Byung-hun arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Monday. Actor Lee Byung-hun arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Monday.
Actor Lee Byung-hun appeared in the Seoul Central District Court on Monday to testify against two women accused of blackmailing him.
Prosecutors had earlier asked for the two to be tried behind closed doors due to privacy concerns. The pair, a member of a K-pop girl group identified by her surname Kim (20) and a model surnamed Lee (25) allegedly threatened to publish a video clip in which the actor is heard to make lewd remarks unless he paid them W5 billion (US$1=W1,114). 
Lee arrived in court at around 1:37 p.m. accompanied by a small army of bodyguards. He did not answer questions from reporters. When the barrage of questions continued, Lee sought refuge in a bathroom before heading into the court room.
A lawyer representing the two women claimed Lee approached the model first and that the actor offered to buy her a house in exchange for sex.

[rubie]

November 25. 2014
Lee Byung-hun refutes model
Source:  KPOPHERALD
Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun repeatedly denied allegations that he was in a relationship with a model.
Lee’s refutation came during a closed-door court hearing on a blackmailing case on Monday, which lasted nearly three hours.
It was the second trial hearing on the scandal involving Lee, model Lee Ji-yeon and girl group GLAM member Dahee. Earlier, Lee sued the two women, claiming that they demanded 5 billion won ($4.7 million) in return for not disclosing a videotape of him having a lewd conversation with them.

Actor Lee Byung-hun leaves the Seoul Central District Court on Monday. (OSEN)
During the second hearing, Lee confronted the two women for the first time since the case was brought to the police in August. He did not attend the first hearing. According to news reports, the actor denied model Lee’s allegations that the two were in a relationship. 
When the model defendant presented one of their KakaoTalk conversations to prove that they were in a relationship, the actor reportedly struck back, saying, “It was a joke” and “I do not recall.” 
After attending the hearing, the actor left the courtroom with a horde of news reporters and photographers waiting outside. Upon leaving the courtroom, the actor said, “I have been truthful and sincere about my witnesses at the court, and will wait for the court’s decision accordingly.” 
The blackmailing scandal became known to the public when actor Lee turned to the police on Aug. 28. Model Lee and singer Dahee, aged 24 and 20, respectively, were arrested by the police on Sept. 1 and attended the first court hearing on Oct. 16. 
The scandal broke out nearly 15 months after actor Lee married actress Lee Min-jung in August 2013.

[rubie]

November 25, 2014
Lee Byung Hun frustrated over information leaked by Lee Jiyeon’s lawyers
Source: Koreaboo.com A spokesperson from Lee Byung Hun‘s side has expressed their frustration for the information leak pertaining to the recent trial held against GLAM’s Dahee and model, Lee Jiyeon. 
On November 24th, Lee Byung Hun attended the second trial for the attempting extortion case he filed against the two women and submitted his testimony at the Seoul Central District Court. The trial, which was initially postponed and rescheduled to a later date, focused on the actor’s statement as he testified against the alleged relationship claimed by Lee Jiyeon.
However, despite the trial’s closed-door agreement, the lawyer of the model was quoted in a short interview saying, “Through the messenger Lee Byung Hun gave a message that was implying the relationship between him and Lee Ji Yeon. He later said it was just a joke between close friends.” 
On November 25th, a representative from  Lee Byung Hun’s side said during the phone call with Newsen, “The lawyer from Lee Jiyeon’s side seems to have had an interview with the media. Since it was a closed-door trial, the justice department gave the warning for disclosure but he did,” further adding that,  “The trial took place for 3 hours and 30 minutes and we did not only talk about those things. However, only the arousing parts were published as articles and we are very frustrated. Since it was closed-door, we cannot reveal what the suspects said and what we testified. What is important is that the arguments of both parties are conflicting and that the trial is still going on.”
Expressing their frustration, Lee Byung Hun’s representatives closed the statement saying, “It is very embarrassing but I don’t think it is smart to clarify the lawyer’s statements and counteract. I feel sorry that only one-sided statements are published when the court’s ruling has not been made yet.”
The case continues as the court sets another trial date for December 16th and has summoned the mutual friend connecting Lee Byung Hun to Lee Jiyeon.

[rubie]

November 27, 2014
Korean Film Festival is set to open
Source: Gulf Daily News

A KOREAN Film Festival gets underway at Bahrain National Museum tonight with the screening of Masquerade at 7pm.
Originally released in 2012, this historical film is also known as Gwanghae: The Man Who Became King, and tells the story of the 15th ruler of Korea's Joseon Dynasty, King Gwanghae, played by Lee Byung-hun.
Next Thursday international action heist film The Thieves, starring Kim Hae-sook and Jeon Ji-hyun among an ensemble cast will be screened.
One of the highest grossing movies in Korean film history, The Thieves depicts a gang of South Korean criminals who team up with a Hong Kong crew to steal a diamond necklace from a heavily guarded casino safe in Macau.
The festival, which is being organised by the Korean Embassy in collaboration with the Culture Ministry, will conclude on December 12 with the showing of Miracle in Cell No 7.
A heart-warming comedy and family melodrama about a mentally challenged man wrongfully imprisoned for murder, this 2013 film stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won and Park Shin-hye.
All films featured in the festival will be subtitled in English.
Source: Korean Embassy in Bahrain 

[rubie]

The Insiders:  Last day production photo, thanks to the fan-sharing at LBH DC Gallery (병헌앓이♥)

[rubie]

Thanks to the highlight by 병헌앓이♥ at LBH DC Gallery l EverythingLBH.com
October 2013 Photo by Candy Kennedy

[rubie]

Thanks to the highlight by 병헌앓이♥ at LBH DC Gallery l EverythingLBH.com
October 2013 Photo by Candy Kennedy