On Monday, 26 February, popular South Korean actor Oh Dal-su denied the claims that he sexually harassed a junior theater actor back in the ’90s, three days after the accusation against him was made public.
“The claim against me is not true. I didn’t do it,” said the actor in a statement. “I look back on the past, some 30 years ago when I was in my early 20s, but I have never done such things.”
It all started with an anonymous online posting dated 15 February, in which the author accused the veteran actor of sexually assaulting her in the ’90s when she was working with him at a theater in Busan. The person did not reveal the actor’s name, but his initials.
The accuser wrote that “the actors habitually and secretly committed sexual harassment against junior female actors. He was one of producer Lee’s pupils and now is a popular comedy actor,” referring to the disgraced stage director Lee Youn-taek, who made a public apology on 19 February for sexual abuse. “For me he is no more than a pervert, an evil (person) and a psychopath. Since the shocking incident, I have been in pain for 20 years and still receive psychotherapy. I hope he is punished in hell.”
On Friday, 23 February, some media outlets reported that the man referred to in the post is actually Oh Dal-su. Until Monday, neither the actor nor his management agency had commented on the accusations and did not provide any official response.
“On February 15th and 19th, an anonymous account wrote a comment on a portal site claiming harassment, and were both deleted. I am writing to make a statement about those. The claim against me is not true. I didn’t do it.”
The actor apologised for the delayed statement: ”Even though there were many people who wanted it, and many who criticized me about it.”
“The movie that I was currently filming for had schedules up to February 24th. I believed that it was my duty to finish the leftover filming, and that staying on set was the least way of harm to the staff. Thankfully, I was able to wrap up the filming that was promised with many staff and actors. I say once again that the statements by those anonymous accounts are definitely not true,” emphasized the actor.
Oh Dal-su is just one of the many directors, actors and high-profile people accused of sexual harassment, as the #MeToo movement is constantly growing in the South Korean entertainment industry.
