Father of Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung "Please forgive us and give a chance"... Public opinion remains cold

Father of Lee Da-young and Jae-young: "Daughters Admit Mistakes and Are Reflecting"
Netizens "Not Truly Repentant" Outraged

In July last year, sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young are talking at the media day held at the Heungkuk Life Training Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Controversy has erupted as the past school violence incidents involving professional volleyball players and twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young (25, Heungkuk Life) have come to light. In an interview with a media outlet, their father, Lee Joo-hyung, expressed an apology to the victims, saying, "They admit their wrongdoing and are reflecting on it. I hope they can be forgiven and given a chance." However, netizens have responded coldly, stating, "It does not feel like a sincere remorse."

On the 16th, in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo regarding the controversy, Mr. Lee said, "It feels like we are being punished for the actions we have taken so far," and added, "We accept the criticism and will live properly from now on." He continued, "This was something I had no idea about, so when it suddenly broke out, I experienced 'mental breakdown.' Even now, my mind is blank," revealing his current feelings.

Having also been an athlete representing the national track and field team, Mr. Lee expressed his remorse toward the victims. He said, "Since I have done sports myself, I understand well what happens within that environment," and added, "(The victims) probably have not been able to erase it from their minds for a long time. Thinking that they must have lived with unspeakable pain makes my heart ache deeply."

He further stated, "Nowadays, whenever past mistakes come out, people tend to give up everything," but added, "Still, if the person involved sincerely admits their wrongdoing and reflects on it, I hope they can be forgiven and given a chance at least once."

Twin professional volleyball players Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung (25, Heungkuk Life) who participated in the game last October. / Photo by Yonhap News

The public's reaction to the interview has been cold. Critics argue that if they were truly remorseful about the controversy, they would not be asking for 'forgiveness' or 'a chance.'

One netizen commented, "I understand how devastating it must be from a parent's perspective, but can the victims possibly forgive? Asking for forgiveness just once or for a chance only causes more pain to the victims," they pointed out.

Another netizen said, "It does not feel like a sincere remorse. I cannot understand how they can plead for another chance after committing wrongdoing. It seems they have no interest in the pain the victims are feeling," they stated.

The controversy began after a netizen posted an article on an online community on the 10th exposing the past school violence incidents involving the Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young sisters.

Following the initial exposure, additional posts revealing school violence related to the sisters continued on internet communities and social networking services (SNS). As the controversy escalated, the sisters posted an apology on Instagram, stating, "We feel deep remorse," and then left their team.

The sisters' team, Heungkuk Life, and the Korea Volleyball Association decided on the 15th to impose an indefinite suspension from competition on both players.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.