S. Korean boxing champ says she won't give up her acting career

SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean actress became a national sensation last week when she grabbed a boxing championship and drew intense media attention as a rising boxing star. Lee Si-young's victory at the national women's amateur boxing championship also made some people wonder whether Seoul will send her to compete in the 2012 London Olympics. But she said she does not want to take the spotlight away from her acting career. The 28-year-old said she feels uncomfortable being called a "boxing queen" or a "potential Olympian" because she just wants to be known as an actress, not a boxer. "I was so surprised at the media attention. I don't understand," Lee said, noting she competed several times. As an actress, Lee did not receive much media attention. Still, her role as a female boxer for a local television drama -- which never hit the airwaves -- helped her develop a real-life boxing career that included two other amateur titles. Even after the flop with the drama, she did not stop exercising. She kept training for the competition even during a trip to Busan, a port city some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to shoot a film. She did not tell her male counterpart in the film about her athletic challenge. "Well, he didn't know about it. It's my private stuff," Lee said. "I'm an actress. I didn't want to tell others that I compete in boxing. I'm not good at boxing, either." Lee has starred in hit television shows such as "Boys Over Flowers." She is currently the host of "Entertainment Relay" on KBS, the longest-running entertainment weekly show on Korean television. She is also cast as a heroine for the movie "Dangerous Meeting," which will be released on March 31, playing a leading role for the first time. Plus, she will act in "Couples," scheduled to be filmed in May. Lee has now become one of the promising stars in the South Korean movie industry. But her start was not that rosy. "I had auditioned tens of thousands of times for five years, but failed all," said Lee. "Nevertheless, I tried harder because I terribly desired to be an actress." In 2008, she finally grabbed a chance to debut with a TV series, "Ghost Story: Deja vu, Season One." "Many people have told me that I couldn't get a chance. Some said I was too old; others told me to marry," she said. "But as I heard those advices, I got more anxious for this job. I was dying to become an actress." Three years into her career as an actress, Lee said she has much room for improvement in acting. Still, she said she wants to become a "good" actress, leaving the boxing behind. "I liked the bright stage seen in TV. I wanted to be the one under the limelight," she said. "I want to be a good actress."