Actor Yoo Ah-in accused of sexual assault

By: The Korea Herald/Asia News Network – 3 minutes ago

Actor Yoo Ah-in attends a court hearing related to his drug abuse charges at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday. Image: Yonhap via The Korea Herald

A 30-year-old man has filed a criminal complaint against the actor Yoo Ah-in of sexually assaulting him, Seoul police said on Friday, July 26. Investigators are considering the possibility that Yoo was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

Officers at Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station are investigating the mock rape case involving the 37-year-old actor and plan to summon him for questioning soon. Mock rape, which is stipulated in Article 297-2 of the Criminal Law, refers to rape using non-genital body parts.

Yoo’s lawyer immediately released a statement on Friday morning denying the allegations and urging the public to refrain from “unnecessary speculation” about his client.

The plaintiff stated that he was sexually assaulted by Yoo on July 14 while he was sleeping in an apartment in a residential and commercial building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The apartment is neither Yoo’s nor the plaintiff’s home, and other people were present at the crime scene.

Officials said they were open to the possibility that Yoo was under the influence of illegal drugs. They had already questioned the accuser and administered a rapid test on him, which came back negative.

The controversial actor is currently on trial for repeated illegal drug use. He is accused of illegally using the medical anesthetic propofol 181 times between 2020 and 2022, smoking marijuana and inciting others to smoke it, and inciting others to destroy evidence.

Propofol is classified as a psychotropic substance under South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act and must be prescribed by a doctor for valid medical reasons.

Earlier this week, prosecutors had called for a four-year prison sentence for Yoo in court.

Considered one of the greatest acting talents of his generation, Yoo has starred in several commercial hits and critically acclaimed films such as the 2018 film “Burning.”