Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae denies ties with South Korea ruling party’s former leader
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Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae denies ties with People Power Party's former leader Han Dong-hoon (right).
PHOTO: KIMBBANGSANG/ X
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has distanced himself from the party of South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol after a photo of him with the party’s ex-leader resurfaced online, according to Korean media.
The photo showed the South Korean actor smiling alongside the former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, outside a restaurant in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
Mr Han, once Mr Yoon’s staunchest ally, stepped down on Dec 16 amid internal strife within the party following the National Assembly’s vote to impeach the President.
Mr Yoon plunged the country into political chaos on Dec 3, 2024, with a short-lived martial law declaration.
The Emmy-winning actor, who stars in Netflix hit Squid Game (2021 to present) as lead character Seong Gi-hun, told local media on Jan 2 that he was classmates with Mr Han and the duo graduated from Hyundai High School in Gangnam in 1992.
The Emmy-winning actor Lee Jung-jae told local media on Jan 2 that he was classmates with Mr Han (right) and the duo graduated from Hyundai High School in Gangnam in 1992.
He said the photo was taken in November 2023 and that he had no affiliation with the party, reported The Chosun Daily.
The 52-year-old added: “When well-known people meet, there’s bound to be curiosity about ‘why’. But as high school alumni, all we did was have one dinner together.
“There was no professional collaboration, no assistance offered, not even a single word exchanged beyond that.”
Lee said the restaurant owners had given them fresh kimchi, and they wanted to pose with it, adding that fans of Mr Han posted the photo on the internet.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, stock prices of Daesang Holdings surged when the photo first surfaced online in 2023. His girlfriend of almost 10 years Lim Se-ryeong is the vice-chairman of Daesang Group, which specialises in energy, auto parts, oil exploration and industrial gas.
Mr Han resigned in December 2024, nearly five months after he was elected to lead the People Power Party at its national convention held on July 23.
The prosecutor-turned-political novice had earlier pushed for Mr Yoon’s “orderly resignation” and later for ruling party lawmakers to vote in favour of the President’s impeachment.
Lee Jung-jae at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan 5.
This is not Lee’s first encounter with a member from the PPP.
The Korea Times reported representative Yoon Sang-hyun as saying he had a drinking session with Lee and South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, where they supposedly had about 10 rounds of alcoholic drinks.
Lee said on Jan 2 that he had met the lawmaker for drinks at a gathering of 30 to 40 people working in the entertainment industry.
“It wasn’t a private meeting... It wasn’t a specific drinking session with the three of us,” he said.
Lee reprised his role as the main protagonist in the second season of Netflix’s blockbuster survival series Squid Game. It has attracted more than 68 million views since its debut on Dec 26, topping the company’s streaming charts globally.
