'Family man' actor denies rape charge

Uhm Tae-woong, right, with his wife and daughter from KBS’s “The Return of Superman” / Courtesy of KBS

By Ko Dong-hwan

Four days after it was revealed that a female massage parlor employee was suing actor Uhm Tae-woong for allegedly raping her in January, his agency has come to his defense.

Keyeast said Uhm, 42, claims the allegation that he raped the woman in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province is false.

“Uhm’s wife, who recently became pregnant, has suffered serious mental trauma because of the allegation and her health is unstable,” the agency said, according to media reports.

The reason Uhm waited four days to make an official response might be that the star of KBS’s “The Return of Superman” ― a reality show about celebrity fathers struggling to raise their children from baby to pre-teen ― was concerned about his wife, a former ballerina.

The show focused on the star’s “family man” image, in which he often became rapturous in front of his daughter, from 2013 to 2015.

The accuser, 35, claims Uhm visited the parlor and, despite her explanation that the parlor did not offer sexual services, he raped her.

It remains to be seen whether Bundang police, who began investigating on Aug. 23, can prove that sexual intercourse took place, and, if so, if it was consensual or not.

A source said it may be hard to verify the truth as the alleged incident did not occur recently.

Uhm made his acting debut in 1998, appearing in several hit dramas and movies, including Cyrano Agency (2010), Architecture 101 (2012) and Man from the Equator (2012). He is the younger brother of K-pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa.

He married Yoon Hye-jin in 2013.