Unbelievable Indulgence! 500,000 Spent in Just Three Days on a Truly Unusual Obsession?!

Although it’s long been known that South Korea’s entertainment industry operates under the heavy shadow of powerful chaebols, every new scandal still manages to shock the public and push boundaries lower.

On September 25, a bombshell report shook the country: former CJ Group chairman and prominent businessman Lee Jae-hyun was exposed by paparazzi for hosting secret parties—reportedly with a very particular obsession for black stockings and towering stilettos.

This revelation came from Dispatch (D社), one of the most credible investigative outlets in Korea, giving the story even more weight. According to Dispatch, Lee’s preferences were far from ordinary—he allegedly arranged covert “viewing sessions” with beautiful women, especially those with long legs.

Some explicit footage was reportedly too sensitive to publish, but Dispatch did release snippets of related chat logs. These showed managers instructing girls not to tie their hair, to wear heels taller than 9 cm, and to dress elegantly in dark tones.

Interestingly, Lee rarely handled these arrangements directly. Instead, he relied on a network of so-called “scouts” to recruit women under the guise of inviting them to “enjoy food and performances.” The fees were suspiciously low—around 150–200 won—yet the requirements were meticulous, and the secrecy extreme. Directions to party locations were given step by step, often after arriving at a meeting point, resembling a clandestine operation straight out of a crime film.

The selection criteria were equally strict: most girls had to be over 170 cm tall. Once admitted into Lee’s inner circle of “regulars,” they could earn staggering sums—reportedly as much as 100 million won for just three days of participation.

Lee Jae-hyun’s name may not be instantly familiar to everyone, but his connections run deep. He is a relative of Lee Mi-kyung, vice chairwoman of CJ ENM, the entertainment giant behind the Oscar-winning film Parasite. Even more striking, he is the eldest grandson of Samsung’s founder, Lee Byung-chul, and son of Samsung’s first chairman, Lee Maeng-hee. With such lineage, it’s no exaggeration to say he held unparalleled influence across both corporate and entertainment sectors.

Unfortunately, chaebol entanglement in Korea’s entertainment world is nothing new. History is scarred with tragedies: actress Jang Ja-yeon, who revealed she was coerced into providing sexual favors to powerful executives and media figures before her tragic death, remains a haunting example. Likewise, the infamous Seungri scandal—where women were drugged and exploited in nightclubs with the backing of businessmen and police—exposed the deep nexus between money, power, and abuse.

The scale of corruption was staggering. Seungri himself was implicated in tax evasion, bribery, prostitution, and drug-related dealings, shielding himself with bribes of money and sex to key figures in politics, law enforcement, and business.

Calling South Korea’s entertainment scene “dark” barely scratches the surface. With chaebol groups controlling over 95% of the nation’s GDP, their dominance is inescapable. Samsung, in particular, is woven into nearly every aspect of Korean life.

Against that backdrop, revelations of a Samsung heir organizing secretive, high-end parties may be shocking, but hardly surprising. For families wielding such immense power, scandals of this magnitude—while disturbing—almost seem inevitable.