Lee Sun-jung reveals manager kidnapped her; Lee Eui-jung rescued her

Actress Lee Sun-jung has shed light on an untold story from the 1990s entertainment industry, revealing that she was once kidnapped by a manager who had a crush on her. Interest is mounting regarding the special bond between the two, as testimony emerged that Lee Eui-jung led several managers to the scene to rescue Lee Sun-jung at the time.

On the 4th, during "EP.07 | Zero Filtering! Behind-the-scenes War of Three Guys and Three Girls Legends" released on her YouTube channel "Lee Seon-jeong's Selection," Lee Sun-jung met with Lee Eui-jung, Hong Seok-cheon, and Hong Gyeong-in—with whom she formed a connection through the MBC sitcom "Three Guys and Three Girls"—to look back on their days of activity.

The conversation began with gratitude toward Lee Eui-jung. Lee recalled that while filming "Three Guys and Three Girls," it was not easy to commute to the Yeouido filming set as she had moved her residence to Bucheon without a manager. During that time, despite her busy schedule, Lee Eui-jung personally drove from Hannam-dong to Bucheon to pick her up.

Expressing deep gratitude toward Lee Eui-jung, Lee said, "She really took care of me back then." Upon hearing this, Hong Seok-cheon joked about Lee's popularity at the time, saying, "She didn't just capture men's hearts, but she also had women's hearts swinging back and forth."

In fact, Lee is a figure who built a unique presence in the popular culture scene of the late 1990s. She first made her face known to the public by appearing as the so-called first "Mambo Girl" during Kim Bu-yong's "Poverty in the midst of abundance" stage in 1995, and later expanded her recognition as an actress through "Three Guys and Three Girls." At the time, the sitcom served as a gateway for stars and a platform that explosively boosted the public recognition of young entertainers, and Lee also gained attention following that trend.

When asked why Lee Eui-jung took such special care of Lee, an unexpected past story emerged. Lee Eui-jung explained that Lee's road manager at the time was her own manager, and that the manager liked Lee.

"That road manager liked Sun-jung so much that he even kidnapped her," Lee Eui-jung said. She went on to recall, "It was across from the Yeongdong Hotel at the Sinsa-dong intersection," explaining that she and the surrounding managers rushed to the scene, surrounded the vehicle, and brought Lee Sun-jung out.

When the production crew reacted that the sense of responsibility must have been great, Lee Eui-jung emphasized again, "The kid was kidnapped. It was a real kidnapping." This explanation suggests it was not just a simple entertainment industry episode, but a situation where Lee's actual safety had to be a concern.

The reason why this incident was not widely reported in the media at the time was also mentioned. When the production crew asked, "Why didn't it appear in the newspapers?", Lee replied, "My unnie covered for me back then." This part is interpreted to mean that Lee Eui-jung was more than just a fellow actress to Lee; she was a close senior who stepped up directly in a crisis.

The reason their relationship is gaining attention again is that their bond did not stem simply from a single work. As the anecdote was revealed—that Lee Eui-jung helped with transportation when Lee was in a difficult situation without a manager, and later personally went to the scene when an unexpected incident occurred—it shows a facet of the camaraderie formed in the 1990s entertainment industry.

Particularly in today's environment, where celebrities' private lives and past anecdotes are rapidly redistributed online, even stories lightly mentioned in broadcasts long ago can be consumed in a new context. It is also noteworthy that an episode that passed by with laughter at the time can serve as a case that makes one think about safety, privacy, and the protection of celebrities from a modern perspective.

Following "Three Guys and Three Girls," Lee continued her acting career appearing in works such as "Try to Steal My Heart," "Shall We Kiss?", "I Like Her," and "Marriage Story." In particular, the "Mambo Girl" image represented by "Poverty in the midst of abundance" aligns with the era's trend where popular culture combined a singer's stage with a broadcast star's image to create new stars.

This anecdote has summoned not only Lee's glamorous heyday but also her relationships with the colleagues she worked with at the time. As the behind-the-scenes stories of "Three Guys and Three Girls," remembered even decades later, lead to the unexpected kidnapping anecdote and Lee Eui-jung's loyalty, they are once again evoking memories of the sitcom generation.