DeepSummary
In a South Korean prison, two young and attractive women named Nami and SJ became friends. Around the same time, the actor Lee Seongyun was celebrating the success of the movie 'Parasite' at the Academy Awards. However, within four years, Lee would be found dead in his car after being interrogated by the police for 19 hours, having his personal phone calls leaked, and losing $300,000 to blackmailers Nami and SJ.
Nami was the madam of an exclusive room salon (a type of high-end hostess club) in Seoul, while SJ was her friend who blackmailed Nami. SJ created a fake account to extort money from Nami, claiming to have compromising photos and videos of her with celebrities like Lee. Despite Lee's negative drug tests, the police relentlessly pursued him based on Nami's testimony that he did drugs at her salon.
After a grueling 19-hour interrogation, Lee admitted to accidentally snorting what he thought was a sleeping pill, but his lawyer demanded a lie detector test. The media frenzy, leaked phone calls, and the police's obsession with making high-profile arrests ultimately led to Lee's tragic suicide, highlighting the corruption and sensationalism surrounding celebrity scandals in South Korea.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The police's desire for high-profile arrests and media sensationalism led to an unjust investigation and public persecution of actor Lee Seongyun based on flimsy evidence.
- Blackmailers Nami and SJ exploited the situation for financial gain, contributing to Lee's downfall.
- The media relentlessly covered the case, perpetuating unproven allegations and shaping public perception against Lee.
- Despite negative drug tests, Lee was subjected to intense interrogations, leaked personal calls, and a media frenzy that ultimately drove him to suicide.
- The case highlights the corruption, lack of due process, and power of public opinion in celebrity scandals in South Korea.
- Even after Lee's tragic death, the police showed little accountability or remorse for their handling of the investigation.
- The stigma and severe consequences surrounding alleged drug use by celebrities in South Korea were disproportionate to the evidence against Lee.
- The public's willingness to convict Lee in the court of public opinion based on unsubstantiated claims contributed to the tragic outcome.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βPhenomenon they would just play that clip over and over and over and over again every day, nonstop. He wasn't even guilty, and he was being paraded around like some sort of criminal, like a circus criminal.β by Stephanie Soo's dad
- βSomeone who had a long life ahead of them died. And that blood is on a lot of people's head hands. The blackmailers, the police, the press, and us, the public. Who do you believe is the most at fault? The two women that blackmailed him and lit the torch, or the police that grabbed that torch from them and lit Lee's house on fire, or the press that made sure that the whole world saw Lee's burning house every second of every day. Or the netizens that came to throw gasoline into the house from outside.β by A netizen
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Episode Information
Rotten Mango
Stephanie Soo & Ramble
2/22/24