On August 18, a male actor, referred to as Mr. A, was sentenced by the court for sexually assaulting a fellow actress, Ms. B, on multiple occasions during filming. The case has sparked widespread outrage online and raised discussions about on-set safety and consent.
According to reports, Ms. B, in her late 40s, reported the incidents to authorities after two separate filming sessions in 2022. The scenes were part of a project to train an AI program and did not require excessive physical contact.
The first incident occurred in November 2022 at a convenience store scene. Mr. A had agreed to hit Ms. B’s shoulder to simulate a slap but instead struck her right breast. Despite Ms. B’s complaint to the director, filming continued due to on-set pressures.
A month later, during a nursing home shoot, Ms. B explicitly requested that A grab her shoulder, not her collar. Yet again, he allegedly touched her right breast. Ms. B immediately ended filming and filed a formal sexual harassment complaint.
Throughout the trial, Mr. A denied all allegations. However, the court dismissed his claims, relying on video evidence analyzed by the National Forensic Service and the producer’s statements.
The court ruled that Mr. A’s actions were deliberate and constituted sexual harassment and sexual violence under the Artist Rights Protection Act. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also issued a corrective order requiring A to complete eight hours of sexual harassment prevention training.
In a separate criminal trial, Mr. A was found guilty of forced indecent assault and sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for one year.
The verdict has drawn strong reactions from netizens, many of whom expressed disgust over the assault and criticized media coverage for disclosing the victim’s age while keeping the perpetrator’s identity private.
- “Acting is all about coordination, so actions like that without consent are definitely sexual harassment.”
- “Why don’t they reveal the perpetrator’s identity instead?”
This case underscores the importance of consent and professional boundaries on film sets and serves as a reminder that deliberate misconduct will not be tolerated under Korean law.
Sources: Koreaboo, Lawtalk News
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