Lee Hye-jung addresses 10-year pet abandonment rumors

Broadcaster Lee Hye-jung has personally addressed the allegations of abandoning her pet cat, Lucky, which have followed her for approximately 10 years. While explaining that some parts stemmed from misunderstandings, she did not make excuses for her past actions on television that caused discomfort to Lucky, instead admitting her mistakes.

On the 4th, Lee mentioned the past controversy regarding her pet cat Lucky in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, 'Hye-jung, What Are You Doing Today?'. During the video, while sharing stories about drinks and her daily life, she brought up the long-unresolved issue, even referencing the details written about her on sites like Namuwiki.

Lee explained the situation at the time, saying, "About 10 years ago, I filmed an observational variety show at my newlywed home with Lucky. Lucky was about three years old then," and added, "It was also my first time doing an observational variety show."

The problem began when viewers captured scenes during the broadcast that appeared to show excessive control over Lucky's behavior. Lee confessed, "I think Lucky found it very uncomfortable that I had to attach a camera to his neck. I kept telling him to come out when he was hiding, and in a way, it looked like I was bullying him, so I received a lot of criticism."

She admitted that there were scenes during the broadcast that could cause viewers to worry about the animal's stress. In particular, during the era when living with pets was consumed as entertainment content, there were frequent debates regarding whether the welfare and behavioral characteristics of animals were sufficiently considered during the filming process, regardless of the performer's intentions.

Lee noted, "It seems like hateful comments are still being posted even now." She explained that rather than being a one-time controversy, the broadcast scenes were repeatedly revisited online, which eventually led to the abandonment rumors.

The part she most actively wanted to clarify was the suspicion that she 'abandoned Lucky.'

Lee revealed that she used to have an SNS account to share Lucky's daily life, but it became difficult to access the account after she changed her mobile phone. She said, "I was just living my daily life with Lucky as usual, but at some point, malicious comments started appearing."

As Lucky's recent updates were not visible on SNS for a while, speculations that she had abandoned him spread among some people. However, according to Lee's explanation, it was not that her life with Lucky had ended, but rather that the visibility of their life to the outside world had decreased due to the SNS account issue.

She also revealed the reason why she had not actively clarified the situation until now. "I wondered if it was right for me to go out of my way to say, 'That's not true. These malicious comments are upsetting,'" she said. "I worried about whether I should speak up, since everyone who knows the truth already knows it."

Her intention was that since family and acquaintances who knew the actual situation were aware of the truth, the situation itself of having to explain her private life to correct public misunderstandings felt burdensome. However, as the suspicions repeated as time passed, she appears to have finally decided to explain the facts directly.

However, Lee did not justify all of her past actions. Rather, she clearly apologized for the parts where she failed to sufficiently consider Lucky's perspective during her television appearances.

She stated, "Anyway, it was a broadcast and I was the one who agreed to participate, and I am sorry that I acted that way without knowing Lucky's feelings. I was wrong."

She continued, "It was also my mistake not to receive a solution back then," and revealed, "I am not doing that now." Instead of simply dismissing the past issue as a 'misunderstanding,' she essentially admitted that there was a problem with her judgment in controlling the pet's behavior for the sake of the broadcast.

At the same time, she drew a firm line regarding the abandonment rumors. Lee emphasized, "Please do not worry too much. Lucky is doing well."

What is noteworthy about this clarification is that Lee did not merely repeat the claim that 'abandonment is not true.' While clearly explaining the parts that were different from the facts among the suspicions raised against her, she separately admitted to her shortcomings during past broadcasts.

Pets are now recognized as family members beyond being mere 'pets.' Accordingly, the actions of celebrities regarding their pets are evaluated with much stricter scrutiny than in the past. There are many cases where scenes that were consumed for the fun of variety shows at the time are reinterpreted from the perspective of animal welfare as time passes.

The fact that Lee brought up Lucky's story after 10 years can be seen in this context. While admitting her past mistakes, she intends to correct the false abandonment rumors.

Ultimately, this statement is less a denial of old controversies and more an explanation that distinguishes between 'mistakes made' and 'falsehoods.' By clarifying that her relationship with Lucky has never been severed, Lee has brought a close to the abandonment rumors that have persisted for a decade.