The heartbreaking story of the death of a Korean actress, a victim of sexual violence and her family 

What happened to this actress represents one of the many dark sides of Korea’s entertainment industry. 

Korea’s entertainment industry has countless dark sides that can terrify the public, one of which is the tear jerking story of an actress who committed suicide 11 years ago. The young woman surnamed Oh was sexually assaulted by 10 male perpetrators, mainly from her filming crew. She suffered from so much pain that she decided to put an end to her misery. 

Accidentally entering the acting path through the recommendation of her younger sister – a dancer, Oh spent all her time on the filming set, starring in many projects, playing minor roles with little screen time. However, Oh started to show odd changes, from the way she spoke, her personality to how she acted around people. She had to go to the therapist for treatment and painfully admitted that she had been sexually assaulted. In Oh’s self-written diary, she recalls how she was sexually abused by 10 men, including 4 assistants to actor-managers and 6 staff members. She was the victim of these sex offenders for a long time without having the courage to tell anyone, resulting in mental issues. 

Only when her mother found out about her diary, did she file a complaint against those who had destroyed her daughter’s life.  Ironically, these men countered with the argument that “the sexual relationship had an agreement between the two parties, they also gave her taxi money the next morning”. The constant investigation and interrogation made Oh even more depressed, to the point that her family had to withdraw the lawsuit, and the perpetrators could not be punished. 5 years later, she was no longer an actress, but her pain was not over. She ended up taking her own life because of depression. A week later, Oh’s younger sister hanged herself, then her father also passed away because of grief, leaving her mother alone.

Oh’s heartbreaking story was reported again on a JTBC show while the law was completely useless in dealing with the 10 perpetrators.  And this is just one of the many unknown dark stories about the entertainment industry, when young actors have to exchange a lot to get attention.