{
  "id": 8154713,
  "title": "'He chose me as his spouse': Fan loses $23,700 to fake Lee Dong-wook",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/he-chose-me-as-his-spouse-fan-loses-23-700-to-fake-lee-dong-wook-8154713",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T02:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20260918/he-chose-me-as-his-spouse-fan-loses-23700-to-fake-lee-dong-wook"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A romance scam artist posing as South Korean actor Lee Dong-wook swindled a fan of 35 million won (approximately $23,700) over an eight-month period, leaving her devastated and her management agency forced to act. In an interview on SBS's News Hunters program, the victim, in her late 30s, recounted how the impostor cultivated a deep emotional connection through social media messages, using terms of endearment like \"oppa\" and \"honey.\" Despite their virtual romance, no face-to-face meetings or phone conversations ever transpired. The conman even went so far as to profess his intention to marry the victim, insinuating they were destined to be a couple. However, all correspondence took place online, and the victim was ultimately unable to recover the funds she sent.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "'He chose me as his spouse': Fan loses $23,700 to fake Lee Dong-wook",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/he-chose-me-as-his-spouse-fan-loses-23-700-to-fake-lee-dong-wook",
        "published": "2026-09-18T02:42:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}