Lee Sun-kyun's alleged blackmailer also may have threatened another blackmailer

A woman suspected of blackmailing the late actor Lee Sun-kyun arrives at Incheon District Court on Dec. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)

A woman suspected of blackmailing the late Lee Sun-kyun was found to have had threatened a 29-year-old bar worker who also coerced money from the late actor, police said Thursday.

Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency recently discovered the complicated relationship between the two suspects while investigating Lee's claims that he had been blackmailed by the two women.

The bar host, who worked at a high-end bar in Gangnam, southern Seoul, that Lee frequently visited, reportedly received 300 million won ($230,000) from Lee by saying that a "hacker" had recently found out about their relationship and was threatening to go public. The money was presented to him with the purpose of paying off the hacker, who the host claimed to have no knowledge of.

The initial blackmail suspect, who had not been acquainted with Lee, is believed to have gone after the 300 million won by threatening the bar host. When things did not go as planned, she supposedly reported the host to police to have her arrested for drug use.

She also approached Lee and coerced 50 million won from him.

Both the suspect and bar host are former convicts who became acquainted while serving time at local prison.

Details of the alleged crimes are still unclear as of now. The host claimed that she did not know the hacker who threatened her, and the suspect denied allegations that she was the hacker in question.

Police are planning to press extortion charges on both women. The bar host is already facing drug use charges at Incheon District Court.

Lee, whose prolific career includes starring in the Oscar-winning “Parasite," was found dead on Dec. 27 in an apparent suicide. He had been under investigation for alleged drug use.

Lee had maintained throughout police interrogation that he was tricked into taking drugs. The day before he died, he had requested a polygraph test to determine whether he or the bar host -- who claimed Lee knowingly took illegal drugs -- was telling the truth.

Lee tested negative in both a reagent test during the police investigation and a comprehensive lab-based drug analysis of hair samples by the National Forensic Service.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)