Lee Hye-young and Lee Sang-min, divorce turned into 'entertainment material'

There are degrees of honesty and comfort. Even after their divorce, Lee Hye-young and Lee Sang-min mention each other without paying attention. Quite often, quite naturally. When they broke up, they faced a lawsuit and were in the spotlight, but now that time has passed, they seem to be enjoying themselves.

On the 9th, Lee Hye-young appeared as a guest in the trailer for Tak Jae-hoon's YouTube channel 'Noppagu Tak Jae-hoon'. In the trailer, Tak Jae-hoon asked Hye-young Lee, "Do you watch 'Single for Men' often?" and Hye-young Lee responded, "I watched it sometimes." In response to Tak Jae-hoon's mischievous question, "Which of them do you want to kill the most?" Lee Hye-young was captured looking at the ceiling with a faint smile and thinking.

Lee Hye-young married Lee Sang-min, who is two years younger than her, in June 2004, but divorced by agreement a year and two months later. Afterwards, Lee Hye-young filed a complaint to the police, claiming that Lee Sang-min forced her to take a nude photo shoot in 2006 and stole her contract deposit and profits, causing a total of 2.2 billion won in damages.

Lee Sang-min explained in a press conference, "I never forced Lee Hye-young to take a nude photo shoot. Of the 500 million won contract deposit, 350 million won was received by Lee Hye-young and then given to her as business funds." He added, "The 1 billion won borrowed was guarantored by Hye-young. He said, “This is the money you gave me,” and repaid it, resolving the seizure issue.

The two separated, causing a stir in the world. Hyeyoung Lee, who had not met anyone for three years after her divorce, eventually remarried in 2011 to Bu Jaehoon, CEO of MBK Partners, who was one generation older than her from Hawaii.

Lee Hye-young and Lee Sang-min, who had a difficult time after a lawsuit and divorce from the person they once loved the most, were able to shake it all off as time passed. Even when they appeared on the air, they started talking about each other without hesitation.

Lee Sang-min indirectly mentioned Lee Hye-young in his regular appearances in 'Single For Men' and 'My Little Old Boy'. Lee Sang-min said, “There were only two albums that gave me negative reviews in 1999,” and “They were the Bros album and ‘La Dolce Vita.’ That was a huge expense.” 'La Dolce Vita', which Lee Sang-min mentioned, is the title song of Lee Hye-young's first full-length album.

He also mentioned the female duo 'Coco' of which Lee Hye-young was a member and said, "Kim Jun-ho named the sofa in our house 'Coco'. He told Coco to sleep well."

Lee Hye-young also served as the main MC on 'Idol Singles' and spoke about her divorce and remarriage. In 'Idol Singles 3', while talking about the topic of 'marriage registration', Lee Hye-young said, "In my case, I registered my first marriage when I was about 7 months old," and showed regret, saying, "I did it for no reason."

The divorce story of Lee Hye-young and Lee Sang-min has suddenly degenerated into a comfortable and easy 'item' to create broadcast content. Divorce cannot be a blemish on an individual's life, but it is a serious matter that cannot be taken lightly by turning it into an entertainment subject. In particular, Hyeyoung Lee is a mother raising a daughter after remarrying. This is where a child who joins a new family may feel emotionally confused.

Their story may have helped with immediate viewership ratings and topicality. Freedom of speech exists, but as public figures, the couple must be aware that 'divorce' is by no means a light or easy matter.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr