[COVER STORY] Online hunt begins for Korean defendant in Cornell sexual assault suit

Rumors about Winston Lee, a Cornell University student believed to be Korean, have spread online as a sexual assault lawsuit names seven current and former Cornell students as defendants. A former Cornell student filed the suit in New York this month, alleging Chi Phi fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted her in October 2024. No criminal charges were filed after police found insufficient evidence, and online claims about Lee’s whereabouts and military service continue to circulate.

The lawsuit names seven current and former Cornell University students as defendants, including Winston Lee.

The complaint says the alleged assault took place in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house.

No criminal charges were filed because a police investigation found insufficient evidence to support them.

Published Sep 28, 2026 3:29 pm KST

Updated Sep 28, 2026 7:07 pm KST

A post on X claims Winston Lee, a defendant believed to be Korean who is named in a lawsuit involving Cornell University students, has returned to the school and is attending classes. Captured from X

Online users are trying to find information about Winston Lee, a Cornell University student widely believed to be a Korean national, after a sexual assault lawsuit named seven current and former students at the university as defendants.

A former Cornell student filed the lawsuit in New York this month, claiming seven members of the school's Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her in October 2024, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. Lee was among the seven defendants.

No criminal charges were filed against the seven students, as a police investigation found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges, according to local media reports. The victim's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, told CBS that only two of them were expelled and the others received only light punishment. The Cornell Daily Sun reported that the defendants "were offered the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the university."

Korean among 7 named in Cornell lawsuit alleging drugging, sexual assault

As reports on the case have spread, a wave of online criticism of the defendants and Cornell's handling of the case has grown. Lee's current whereabouts, including different claims about his military service, have also been the subject of online rumors.

Some online users, who claim to have attended the same schools as Lee, say he attended Seoul Foreign School, graduated from UWC Atlantic in the U.K. and then went on to Cornell. Another graduate of UWC Atlantic told The Korea Times that he was a student council representative.

On Sunday, a post appeared on Reddit titled "People saying Winston Lee is in Korean Army now." However, other posts on social media claimed Lee was recently seen on the Cornell University campus. "As of last week, he was still seen on campus. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the next move made to try and avoid punishment," one online user wrote in a comment on Reddit on Sunday.

On X, another user posted that she had received multiple tips saying Lee was not in Korea but had returned to Cornell.

"Winston Lee is not in Korea! He returned to Cornell and is currently attending classes! I say this as a female Cornell student who is in one of his classes! We were not made aware we were in class with a rapist! He is back from military service and is posing as a normal student!" a user wrote on X.

K News LA, a Korean American newspaper based in the U.S., reported that Lee's LinkedIn profile listed him as attending Cornell from 2023 to 2027, and included a record of service in the Republic of Korea Army and work experience in Seoul.

One person wrote on social media, "As a Korean American myself, after finding out that Winston Lee is serving in the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), I just wanted to point out that he is a Korean citizen, as Korea does not allow dual citizenship. Why is his citizenship important? The fact itself is not, but this indicates that Winston is probably not his legal name and has a separate legal name in Korean."

The user added that Lee should be held accountable in all of his identities to prevent him from hiding or fleeing to Korea.

关于康奈尔大学学生温斯顿·李（Winston Lee）的谣言在网上流传，据信他是韩国人。与此同时，一起性侵诉讼将七名康奈尔大学现任和前任学生列为被告。本月，一名康奈尔大学前学生在纽约提起诉讼，指控奇菲兄弟会（Chi Phi）成员于2024年10月对她下药并进行性侵。由于警方认为证据不足，并未提起刑事诉讼，但关于李的下落和兵役情况的各种传言仍在网络上流传。

诉讼将七名康奈尔大学现任和前任学生列为被告，其中包括温斯顿·李。

投诉称，这起涉嫌袭击事件发生在 2024 年 10 月，地点是 Chi Phi 兄弟会会所。

由于警方调查发现证据不足，因此未提起刑事诉讼。

发布于2026年9月28日下午3:29（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月28日晚上7:07（韩国标准时间）

X网站上的一则帖子声称，涉嫌参与康奈尔大学学生诉讼案的被告之一、据信为韩国人的温斯顿·李（Winston Lee）已返回学校并开始上课。此消息来自X网站。

在康奈尔大学一名学生温斯顿·李（Winston Lee）被广泛认为是韩国公民后，网上用户正在努力寻找有关他的信息。此前，一起性侵诉讼将该大学的七名现任和前任学生列为被告。

据《康奈尔每日太阳报》报道，一名康奈尔大学前学生本月在纽约提起诉讼，声称该校 Chi Phi 兄弟会的七名成员于 2024 年 10 月对她下药并进行性侵犯。李是七名被告之一。

据当地媒体报道，警方调查发现证据不足以支持刑事指控，因此未对这七名学生提起刑事诉讼。受害者的律师托马斯·吉弗拉告诉哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS），只有两人被开除，其余学生仅受到轻微处罚。《康奈尔每日太阳报》报道称，被告“有机会通过向学校提交论文来减轻其行为的处罚”。

康奈尔大学诉讼案中，一名韩国籍男子被指控下药和性侵，该诉讼案共指控7人。

随着案件报道的扩散，网络上对被告和康奈尔大学处理此案方式的批评浪潮也随之高涨。李目前的下落，包括关于他服兵役的不同说法，也成为网络谣言的焦点。

一些自称与李某就读于同一所学校的网友表示，他曾就读于首尔外国语学校，毕业于英国的UWC大西洋学院，之后进入康奈尔大学深造。另一位UWC大西洋学院的毕业生告诉《韩国时报》，李某曾担任学生会代表。

周日，Reddit 上出现了一篇题为“有人说温斯顿·李现在在韩国军队服役”的帖子。然而，社交媒体上的其他帖子声称，李最近出现在康奈尔大学校园里。“截至上周，他仍然出现在校园里。尽管如此，如果这是他为了逃避惩罚而采取的下一步行动，我也不会感到惊讶。”一位网友周日在 Reddit 上评论道。

在 X 上，另一位用户发帖称，她收到多条消息称李不在韩国，而是已经返回康奈尔大学。

“温斯顿·李不在韩国！他已经回到康奈尔大学，目前正在上课！我作为一名康奈尔大学的女学生，正在上他的课！我们事先并不知道自己和一个强奸犯同班！他已经退伍，现在伪装成一个普通学生！”一位用户在X论坛上写道。

总部位于美国的韩裔美国人报纸《K News LA》报道称，李的领英个人资料显示，他将于 2023 年至 2027 年就读康奈尔大学，并包括在韩国陆军服役的记录以及在首尔的工作经历。

一位网友在社交媒体上写道：“作为一名韩裔美国人，在得知温斯顿·李（Winston Lee）在韩国陆军服役后，我想指出他是韩国公民，因为韩国不允许双重国籍。他的国籍为什么重要？事实本身并不重要，但这表明温斯顿可能不是他的法定姓名，他在韩国可能另有法定姓名。”

该用户补充说，应该追究李某所有身份的责任，以防止他藏匿或逃往韩国。