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Lee Chun-soo arrives at Incheon Namdong Police Station on Wednesday. (Yonhap News) |
Soccer player Lee Chun-soo found himself in a tight spot after police on Wednesday charged him with battery and destruction of property, and his previous claim that he didn’t use violence turned out to be a false.
Incheon Namdong Police Station said it booked Lee without physical detention for assaulting a 30-year-old man surnamed Kim and breaking his phone on Monday at a bar in Incheon. Kim said that he was slapped twice in the face by Lee, who attacked him while he was drinking.
Lee told the police that there was some pushing and shoving but that he was “drunk and did not remember hitting Kim,” taking a step back from his original position that violence had never taken place.
Investigators said that they hold the assault charges to be true in light of all the testimonies by witnesses that had been present at the bar.
While the 32-year-old player has a track record of getting himself into trouble, Lee was further disgraced by the fact that he lied to his team Incheon United FC in an attempt to justify his actions.
Lee claimed that his wife had been present at the time of the supposed assault.
“Would I use violence with my wife sitting right there?” Lee had said.
Police, however, found that Lee’s wife was not at the bar on the night of the incident.
This resulted in a tongue-lashing from the public who accused Lee of using his wife as an excuse for his misdemeanor.
Incheon United FC has yet to comment on the matter.
Lee, formerly a valued member of the South Korean national team, was previously sued for hitting an owner of a bar in Seoul in 2007, and was publicly criticized for getting into a brawl with a coach of his former team, Chunnam Dragons.
Other incidents that marred his reputation include making an obscene gesture toward a fan in 2003, and insulting a referee while protesting an offside call in 2009.
By Yoon Min-sik
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
