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Who is Winston Lee? Korean netizens urged to identify Cornell defendant amid social media hunt, ‘We’re counting on you'
Seven Cornell students, including Winston Lee, are implicated in a sexual assault lawsuit. However, the allegations remain unproven so far.
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A student believed to have Korean heritage is among seven current and former Cornell University students facing allegations in a sexual assault lawsuit, according to The Korea Times. The case has garnered significant attention throughout the United States and among Korean American communities.
A former Cornell University student, referred to as Jane Doe, brought the lawsuit forward this month in New York. She claims she was coerced into consuming a substance identified as ketamine and was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity at their residence in October 2024.
Who is Winston Lee?
The complaint identifies seven students, including Winston Lee, and lodges accusations of sexual assault and additional charges against them. These allegations remain unproven in a court of law, and a lawyer representing one of the accused has refuted the claims made against their client.
Deep Dive
As the "Cornell 7" case keeps capturing headlines globally, Lee finds himself at the center of a parallel investigation into his Korean heritage and personal background. The publicly accessible details about him are notably scarce when we compare them to the extensive information being shared about his co-defendants.
Lawsuit in Cornell sexual assault case sparks online search for accused student's background
A growing number of English-speaking users are now actively turning to Korean internet users to help push the investigation forward, as per The Korea Times.
“OK Korean people, we're counting on you to track one of your own people down,” someone said on social media, as per the outlet.
“Leaving it up to the knetz,” another said, referring to Korean people.
The effort has expanded into Korean and Korean American online spaces, where community members are working to uncover Lee's Korean name and gather details about his schooling, military background, and personal history.
Where is Winston Lee?
Internet users have connected Lee to Seoul Foreign School and UWC Atlantic in Wales, and a LinkedIn account believed to be his states military service in the Republic of Korea Army. Lee is currently listed in Cornell's directory as an enrolled student, and various social media users have reported seeing him back on campus attending classes. However, HT.com cannot independently verify the authenticity of these online claims.
Cornell case reopened
Meanwhile, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that his office has decided to reopen the criminal investigation and plans to bring the case of the seven men before a grand jury, where they could potentially face indictment.
