By Kim Rahn
The head of an entertainment agency has received a six-year jail sentence for raping trainees.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the prison term to Chang Seok-woo, CEO of Open World Entertainment, Friday.
It also ordered the 52-year-old to undergo 40 hours of therapy as well as two years probation.
The court also ordered his personal information and the conviction made public for five years after he is released.
Chang was arrested and indicted in April on charges of sexually assaulting and harassing four trainees of his agency, including two minors, over a dozen times between November in 2011 and last March.
“He raped and sexually harassed the trainees by taking advantage of his position — he had the power to decide their future in showbiz,” the court said in the ruling.
“Chang didn’t repent his crime but only made excuses. He has also made the public distrust the entertainment industry. So we decided on a jail sentence.”
The court said after being arrested, Chang had his friend call one of the victims and threaten to harm her unless she withdrew her complaint against him.
During the hearing, Chang admitted to having sex with the trainees but said that it was not coercive. The court rejected this argument.
“We don’t believe his claim considering the victims’ consistent testimonies and the relationship between him and the victims,” it said.
There was also an allegation that he had two male members of a K-pop group rape girls in a dance practice room and watched the scenes in his office via surveillance cameras. But the prosecution didn’t bring charges against him regarding that claim.
