Man charged with fraud over Lee Min-ho’s photos

Lee Min-ho. OSEN/The Korea Herald/Asia News Network PHOTO

An entertainment agency’s chief and husband of a Korean entertainer was charged with fraud after allegedly stealing investment money by using photos of actor Lee Min-ho.

The police said on Monday the agency chief, surnamed Kim, was sent to the prosecutor’s office without detention after he reportedly received an investment of around 600 million won ($518,000) from an enterpriser and did not return the principal.

Kim signed a deal with actor Lee’s agency in December 2013 to acquire the publication rights of Lee’s photos worth 450 million won. After Kim told the plaintiff to invest in the deal, the victim gave around 600 million won on the condition that he would get 18 percent of the profits apart from the principal within a year.

However, even after Kim allegedly grossed over more than 1 billion won from Lee’s photos “All My Life,” he did not repay the plaintiff. After pressuring Kim to give back the money several times but failed, the plaintiff reported him to the police.

During the police investigation, Kim denied his charge, saying, “The actual sales were only 600 million won and it didn’t reach the break-even point.”

However, the police said after cross interrogation, “Kim was not able to repay his debt in the first place,” and sent him to the prosecutor‘s office.

The police added, “This case has nothing to do with Lee’s agency.”

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