'He chose me as his spouse': Fan loses $23,700 to fake Lee Dong-wook

A romance scam exploiting the name and likeness of actor Lee Dong-wook has defrauded a fan of tens of millions of won, stirring widespread public dismay and prompting his management agency to intervene to prevent further victimization. Appearing on SBS's "News Hunters" in a broadcast on Wednesday, a woman in her late 30s said she exchanged private messages for about eight months with an individual claiming to be Lee, believing they were in a relationship before wiring 35 million won ($23,700) that she has been unable to recover. The victim said the online relationship unfolded entirely across social media, where the impostor groomed her into believing they were romantically involved. "He more or less professed his love for me. We even talked about visiting my parents and arranging a meeting of the families," she said. "It grew into a romantic relationship. I called him 'oppa' (an affectionate Korean term for an older male) and he called me 'honey.' He told me he had chosen me as his spouse." Yet throughout their eight months of relationship, the two never once met face-to-face or spoke by