#MeToo spreads to Catholic Church

Han Man-sam

Ha Yong-bu

Jo Min-ki,

Bae Bien-u

Cho Jae-hyun

Han Myeong-ku

Oh Dal-soo

Yun Ho-jin

Oh Tae-suk

More actors implicated in sexual misconduct

By Lee Kyung-min

The ongoing #MeToo movement has spread to the Catholic Church here after a priest was found to have tried to rape a woman doing overseas voluntary mission work. The Catholic diocese in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, suspended the priest, Han Man-sam, after the woman said he tried to rape her "countless times" while they were in Sudan as part of overseas volunteer mission work in 2011.

Kim Min-kyung said she had to stay up all night fearing that Han would break into her room and rape her. She said Han pounded on her door for hours into the dawn. On one day, he broke the lock and came into her room saying, "I cannot control my body, so you should help me." Kim said she barely managed to escape from the room. Kim said she told two other priests who were there, but they did nothing. Han resigned from an advocacy group known as "Catholic Priests for Social Justice," a much-revered social activist group that spoke out against dictatorial military regimes in Korea.

In addition, new sexual misconduct allegations have surfaced against more veteran actors and noted cultural figures. Veteran actor Cho Jae-hyun apologized on Sunday over a sexual harassment allegation raised by a female staff member at a public broadcaster. Cho said through his agency that he would "put everything down." In a statement released by his agency, Cho said, "In over 30 years of acting, I have committed various wrong acts toward my fellow (actors and actresses) and staff. I am very ashamed of myself and sorry. I will spend my life repenting for my sins."
The staff member earlier claimed that Cho called her up to the rooftop during the filming of a drama in Gyeonggi Province in June 2016, and pushed her against the wall. Cho kissed her without consent, touched her breasts under her clothes and tried to touch inside her pants, which she barely managed to stop. He then grabbed her wrist and put her hand in his pants, saying, "You have something that turns me on. You make me crazy, so you should go out with me. I know Busan well, so let's go there together." She ran out, but she said he still would touch her buttocks whenever they were in an open area. She quit after the final episode of the drama aired.

A similar allegation was made against comic actor Oh Dal-soo. An internet user said Oh put his hand on her "private parts" and "circled his fingers" while looking straight into her eyes in the early 1990s in Busan. She said the experience was so traumatic that she had been taking anti-depressants for more than two decades. She said Oh habitually but quietly harassed actors many years his junior, and that she hoped he would be punished. Oh has made no public comment about the allegation. He is a protege of renowned theatrical play director Lee Yoon-taek, 67, who apologized last week for alleged multiple acts of sexual misconduct, including rape, over the past two decades.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said it had stopped providing a subsidy of more than 1.3 million won ($1,100) a month to Ha Yong-bu, a state-designated intangible cultural heritage, following a woman's allegation last week that he raped her in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, 10 years ago. If Ha is convicted following law enforcement authorities' investigation, corresponding administrative measures will be imposed on him, the organization said.
Korea Tourism Organization said Ha had been removed from a heritage list that received subsidies from municipal governments.

ACOM Arts Communications CEO Yun Ho-jin, a renowned musical producer and director of "The Last Empress" and "Hero," apologized to alleged victims, saying he would offer apology in a manner that satisfied them and asked them to call him in person. But the women who raised allegations online without revealing their names, claimed this was a ruse to identify them so they could be "permanently removed" from theatrical circles. Many victims posted online comments alleging he touched them in his car and after work get-togethers. Yun said he would postpone the media briefing for his new work "Wednesdays," which deals with the agony of former sex slaves under Japanese occupation during WWII. The postponement follows fierce criticism that he was at the height of hypocrisy for pretending to understand the victims when he carried out the very crimes for which the World War II victims had suffered throughout their lives.

The National Theater Company of Korea issued a statement vowing to prepare for measures that could root out sexual misconduct. "We feel great responsibility for the recent series of allegations," the company said in a statement. "We will seek legal counsel to clearly state what constitutes sex crimes in employee contracts. "We will also conduct employee training programs and set up protocols to follow in case any such allegations arise. New people will be appointed to monitor human rights violations including those of sexual nature."

A veteran actor and professor at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Han Myeong-ku, apologized for sexually harassing many female students, a story similar to that of another veteran actor Jo Min-ki, who reversed a "categorical" denial hours after alleged victims came forward to dispute his claim. Jo resigned as an acting professor at Cheongju University following a three-month suspension from teaching imposed by the university after an internal investigation concluded that he had sexually harassed women students for years.

Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province, shut down an art studio for Bae Bien-u, a professional photographer, following allegations that he sexually harassed many female students and colleagues. The city said his work displayed in the studio would be removed soon and that state support would be rescinded. Bae, professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts, is a globally recognized figure for his themes concentrated on pine trees, with a reputation of "capturing the characteristic sentiments of Korea."

Meanwhile, a similar allegation has been made against another high-profile director, Oh Tae-suk. An actress said Oh touched her thighs and genitals under a table at a restaurant in Daehangno, Seoul.