South Korean actor Lee Yi-kyung has found himself embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal, where he is accused of allegedly sending lewd text messages to a non-celebrity woman.

She claimed she had been in contact with the cast member of K-drama Marry My Husband (2024), and shared screenshots of her alleged conversations with Lee, 36, on her blog.

According to The Korea Times, the messages posted on Oct 20 contain sexually suggestive remarks and requests for explicit photos. The screenshots also feature Lee’s name and his selfies.

While the post has been deleted, screenshots of the explicit conversations have gone viral in South Korea. 

Lee’s agency Sangyoung Entertainment issued a statement on the same day, declaring it would be taking legal measures.

“We are preparing legal action in response to the spread of false information and malicious rumours that have recently been posted and circulated across online communities and social media platforms,” it said. 

It emphasised that both the originators and those who repost defamatory content may be held accountable.

The agency added that the woman, supposedly a German who taught herself Korean, had previously written to the company demanding money.

The Korea Times reported that the same woman tried to extort money from Sangyoung Entertainment “five or six months ago”. When the agency warned that it would take legal action, the woman subsequently sent an e-mail apology.

In response, the accuser posted her rebuttal, admitting that while she did ask the company for money because of “personal financial issues”, she did not receive any. The person added that the new post was to “warn others so that other women wouldn’t go through the same thing”, reported The Korea Times.

Lee gained recognition playing a rebellious student in teen series School 2013 (2012 to 2013) alongside K-stars Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin. He then took on supporting roles in K-dramas such as Descendants Of The Sun (2016). 

He received a best supporting actor nomination at the 2024 Baeksang Arts Awards for his performance as actress Park Min-young’s unfaithful spouse in Marry My Husband. He also starred in veteran K-pop producer-artiste and JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young’s 2024 music video Easy Lover.

Lee – who recently held a fan meeting in Tokyo on Sept 4 – is also one of the hosts of K-variety show Handsome Guys (2024 to present).