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Ex-husband of Samsung's Lee Boo-jin serving time for case involving deception, shaman

Published: 23 Apr. 2026, 17:47

Im Woo-jae, a former consultant at Samsung Electro-Mechanics [YONHAP]

The ex-husband of Lee Boo-jin, the eldest daughter of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has belatedly been revealed to be serving a one-year prison sentence for deceiving authorities in a bizarre case involving his shaman girlfriend, legal sources said Thursday.

Im Woo-jae, a former consultant at Samsung Electro-Mechanics who was married to Lee from 1999 until their divorce in 2020, was found guilty of obstruction of official duties by deception after he attempted to shield his girlfriend following an elaborate scheme that involved the confinement and assault of an older woman last year, according ingsources.

The case dates back to last April, when the woman was confined and beaten by her grandson in the border county of Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi.

Authorities determined that Im's girlfriend, a shaman, orchestrated the assault to force an apology from the grandson's father, with whom she had a falling out over his refusal to follow her advice on issues with a property deal, according to the sources.

The man at the center of the disagreement was an acquaintance of Im and had arranged long-term lodging for the couple at his guesthouse in Yeoncheon around 2023.

The story took a turn when the older woman escaped and reported the case to the police, prompting an investigation that led the shaman to stage a suicide attempt involving the victim's granddaughter.

In the search for the granddaughter, however, authorities found CCTV footage of Im, his girlfriend and the granddaughter riding together in the same car.

In handing down the sentence, a judge ruled that Im appeared to have been aware of the crime against the older woman as he saw her after she was beaten and swore at her.

Im appealed the ruling, and an appellate trial is reportedly underway.

His girlfriend and the grandson were sentenced to prison terms of six years and three years, respectively.

Yonhap