Renowned play director Lee sentenced to 6 years in prison

Lee Youn-taek heads for a courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court, Wednesday, for a hearing over sexual violence allegations. / Yonhap

By Jung Hae-myoung

Lee Youn-taek, a renowned play director, was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday, after being found guilty of decades-long sexual misconduct against his staff.

The Seoul Central District Court also ordered him to undergo 80 hours of sexual violence education and imposed a 10-year restriction on employment at organizations dealing with children.

He is the first person to be found guilty of sexual misconduct among dozens of figures accused amid the #MeToo movement in Korea.

“Lee repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed his staff members, who were under his absolute influence, under the pretext of performance training,” the court said.

It said Lee, 66, did not reflect on his wrongdoing. “He tried to avoid responsibility by claiming his acts came from the desire to provide good plays and he did not know of the victims' suffering because they did not refuse his sexual advances. He also shifted responsibility onto the victims, saying they were taking advantage of the #MeToo movement.”

Lee, one of the highest-profile figures in art and literary circles, was accused of sexually assaulting eight female actresses and staff members on 25 occasions since 2010, mostly by demanding they “massage” him.

The guilty verdict is only for some of his alleged crimes. Lee can also be punished for sexual offenses committed prior to 2010 due to a change in the ruling on the statute of limitations. He allegedly began sexually assaulting female members of his theater group in 1999.

The prosecution earlier sought seven years imprisonment, considering his lack of remorse and the victims' pleas for severe punishment. Lee insisted the “massage” was part of his “acting guidance” and happened with the victims' consent.

The allegations against Lee emerged in February after Kim Soo-hee, the leader of a Seoul-based theater group, first disclosed his repeated sexual abuse of her through social media accounts.