Cornell fraternity rape lawsuit reveals family ties to South Korea statesman

Winston Lee, one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity brothers accused in a civil lawsuit of gang-raping a fellow student at Cornell University, is the grandson of former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, the New York Post reported. The lawsuit brought by a former student known as Jane Doe involves allegations of drugging and sexual assault at the fraternity house. [1][5]

According to the New York Post, the lawsuit accuses Winston Lee of snorting ketamine off the victim and forcing oral sex on her during the alleged assault. The accuser filed her civil lawsuit against the seven fraternity brothers on September 16, 2026, over an incident that reportedly occurred in October 2024. [1][5]

Lee Hong-koo served as South Korea's prime minister between 1994 and 1995 and as the country's ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2000, during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton, the New York Post reported. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, internal records showed Jonathan Newell was assigned as a sober safety monitor at the Chi Phi house on the night of the alleged incident. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously decided against filing criminal charges following an initial police interview. [6]

As FTMQ News also reported earlier, the accuser has recently faced swatting incidents and threats at her family home, where police held her brother and boyfriend at gunpoint after an anonymous caller falsely reported an active shooter. [5]