Shocking celebrity scandals in Korea

Korea’s entertainment scene has recently been shaken by a spate of incidents involving sexual assault and adultery. Here is a roundup of three recent cases:

Comedian Yoo Sang-moo

On May 18, the police booked comedian Yoo Sang-moo without detention, as a woman had reported that Yoo tried to sexually abuse her.

At first, he explained that it was just an incident that had taken place with his girlfriend. The situation grew worse after his “real” girlfriend disclosed his lies.

JYJ’s Park Yoo-chun

Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun was accused of sexually assaulting a woman on June 10.

Although the woman eventually dropped her charges, three more women came forward with similar charges against the member of K-pop group JYJ.

Actress Kim Min-hee and director Hong Sang-soo’s affair

Actress Kim Min-hee, who starred in the film “The Handmaiden,” and Cannes award-winning film director Hong Sang-soo, are reportedly having an affair.

They had met one another while working together on Hong’s movie “Right Now, Wrong Then” (2015). Hong is married and has a daughter.

Iconic ’90s boy band member charged with sexual assault

Lee Juno, a member of the 1990s hit boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, has been booked on a sexual assault charge, reports said Monday.

Lee, 49, is suspected of sexually abusing two women at an Itaewon club at around 3 a.m. on June 25, the reports said, citing the Yongsan Police Station.

Police are currently analysing video footage from surveillance cameras inside the club. “We will summon Lee for questioning once the basic investigations are complete,” police said.

Police investigated Lee on a sexual abuse charge in 2002 when he was booked for sexually abusing a woman. The prosecution deferred indictment at the time as Lee and the victim had reached an agreement.

Lee married in 2012 and has two children.

The latest charge comes amid a wave of scandals in the Korean entertainment scene, including multiple sexual assault charges against singer Park Yoo-chun and an attempted sexual assault charge against comedian Yoo Sang-moo.