The beauty pageant winner turned top K-drama actress who destroyed her own career with huge scandals 

From a sought-after actress who played the lead in “First Love”, beauty queen Lee Seung Yeon had her career ruined by scandals.  

Fame is tempting but can also be extremely dangerous. There have been many celebrities that go all the way from the top and hit the bottom after screwing up multiple times. Korean pageant queen turned actress, Lee Seung Yeon is a prime example. 

After shooting to fame thanks to playing the female lead in the 1996 drama “First Love”, the second-highest-rated Korean drama of all time, Lee Seung Yeon was wrapped up in shocking scandals. The public now only remembers Lee Seung Yeon as one of the most scandalous and problematic actresses, instead of her works and achievements.

“First Love” female lead with an innocent and captivating beauty, becoming an A-lister after just one drama 

Lee Seung Yeon was born in 1968 and graduated from Inha Technical College in Incheon in 1988. She started out as a flight attendant for Korean Air. In 1992, Lee Seung Yeon‘s colleagues encouraged her to sign up for a beauty contest. She ended up winning third place in Miss Korea in the same year. At the time, her mesmerizing beauty was even more appreciated than 1st place winner Yoo Ha Young and runner-up Chang Eun Young. After the domestic competition, in 1993, Lee Seung Yeon represented Korea in Miss World and made it into the Top 10 Final, a record-high achievement for Korea in international beauty pageants. 

After garnering much attention as a beauty queen, Lee Seung Yeon joined the entertainment industry. Her pure natural beauty, ideal height, and confident aura caught the eye of many producers and directors. 

Even without prior acting experience, Lee Seung Yeon still managed to impress the viewers with her emotional acting and was continuously cast in famous productions such as Our Paradise, Last Lovers, Sandglass, etc. At that time, Lee Seung Yeon’s beauty was a hit. Her short hairstyle was even a trend among Korean women. Lee Seung Yeon was one of the most popular actresses in the 90s.

But that was still not the peak of Lee Seung Yeon’s career. In 1996, she starred in First Love, alongside Bae Yong Joon and Choi Soo Jong. First Love, which scored a legendary nationwide rating of 65.8% in its last broadcast, brought Lee Seung Yeon’s popularity to a whole new level, turning her into an A-lister. Following the success of First Love, Lee Seung Yeon also succeeded in TV shows and fashion. However, she was embroiled in scandals right at the peak of her fame.

Career was miserably destroyed, wrapped up in huge scandals, turning into a criminal 

Nothing is permanent, especially fame. Lee Seung Yeon herself destroyed everything she achieved after serious scandals. From a top actress with a bright future, Lee Seung Yeon went downhill. In 1998, she was caught driving without a license.

She was then sentenced to a year of probation and 80 hours of community service. Due to her misdeed, the public simultaneously protested so fiercely that her ongoing drama Heart Of Lies at the time was cut short. Lee Seung Yeon also lost plenty of career opportunities, letting go of her roles to Yoo Ho Jeong (Trap of Youth) and Lee Young Ae (Invitation).

Sadly, it only got worse from there. Only after 4 years of the illegal driving scandal, Lee Seung Yeon got entangled in a hit and run. Although she was not the driver, Lee Seung Yeon was the owner of the vehicle and she accidentally lent the car to her co-star’s son. Therefore, Lee Seung Yeon‘s reputation was also heavily affected.

However that is not all.  Lee Seung Yeon got into the most terrible scandal in 2004. After a series of controversies, Lee Seung Yeon came up with the idea of ​​​​making a photo series based on the image of the victim being forced into sexual slavery.  This decision officially ruined Lee Seung Yeon’s career and reputation, turning her into a criminal.

Lee Seung Yeon‘s thoughtless action was harshly criticized.  Lee Seung Yeon had to hold a press conference to apologize and explain that her photo set was intended to portray the victim’s pain as well as ease their trauma.  She also shared that she would use the money from selling these photo books to help the victims.

However, her explanations were not accepted.  Victims have endured pain and trauma after their past pain was rekindled. Lee Seung Yeon even went to the victim’s nursing home, knelt down to ask for forgiveness, and destroyed the picture book right in front of them.  But the mistake was too serious.  She only had to withdraw from showbiz, give up her career to avoid being sued.

The end after a series of ups and downs

She appeared to have withdrawn from the spotlight, but also in 2004, she participated in the film 3-Iron, directed by renowned director Kim Ki Duk. The film was also awarded the Silver Lion at the 61st Venice International Film Festival, but Lee Seung Yeon’s fame never regained.

In the following years, Lee Seung Yeon still regularly acted in many movies and participated in TV shows without keeping her promise to leave showbiz.  In 2007, she married a businessman and welcomed her first daughter in 2009.

Although Lee Seung Yeon would not be able to return to her glory days, she would be able to completely engage in artistic activities in silence and enjoy happiness with her family. After a series of scandals, this could have been termed a happy ending for her.

But Lee Seung Yeon continued to get into a scandal.  In 2013, she became the focus of attention again for allegedly using propofol for 6 years for beauty care.  She was sentenced to 8 months in prison and fined 5.5 million won.  When leaving the court, Lee Seung Yeon said in tears, “Everyone thinks I’m an addict.”

Scandals throughout her career have turned Lee Seung Yeon “from hero to zero”. She is still active in showbiz but can’t go back to the past as an A-list star, but can only receive small roles. Her beauty is no longer what it used to be.  It is difficult to recognize the beauty of Lee Seung Yeon in the past if looking at her current appearance.  She was also rumored to have divorced, although she never once spoke about this.

Currently, her SNS is filled with pictures of her daily life. It seems that after so many ups and downs, Lee Seung Yeon has learned her lesson.  Now, at the age of 54, she must have understood that she can’t regain her past glory.