Korean Filmmaker Kim Ki Duk Filed Lawsuit Against TV Show 'PD Notebook' & Three Actresses Who Accused Him Of Sexual Assault
Renowned Korean film director Kim Ki Duk has filed a defamation lawsuit against MBC's PD Notebook for airing the allegation of sexual assault against him. The director also took legal action against the women who accused him of sexual assault.
Kim Ki Duk has filed a criminal case against the TV show and the women for making a false accusation and painting him as a sex predator on the investigative news show. The director stressed that he has done things that he is embarrassed about but stressed that he is not a "rapist."
"I cannot say that I have done nothing to shame myself to the public, as someone who has a family. But I'm not a rapist, as was claimed on PD Notebook. I am being damaged on a tremendous level due to the false accusations, allegations, and airing of the program, which was based on malicious, false facts," Kim Ki Duk reportedly told the prosecution office.
In an episode of PD Notebook in March, three unnamed actresses accused the filmmaker of sexual assault. One of the women was the same actress who accused the filmmaker of sexual assault last year. The woman, identified only as actress "A," claimed Kim Ki Duk and actor Cho Jae-hyeon both raped her after the former summoned her to his hotel room to talk about a script.
She also alleged that Kim Ki Duk slapped her on the first day of filming the Moebius movie in 2013 in the guise of an acting lesson. The director, however, maintained that he was just trying to teach the actress on how to portray her character.
The unnamed actress also accused the director of forcing her to perform some unscripted sex scenes. The woman added that was fired from the movie when she turned down Kim Ki Duk's sexual advances.
The case against the Korean director was eventually dismissed in December 2017 with non-indictment due to lack of evidence to support the claims of "A." The prosecutors, however, did find Kim Ki Duk guilty of physical assault and was ordered to fine 5 million won (about $4,700).
Earlier this year, "A" took the case to appeals court but it was also dismissed. In February, she also launched a social media campaign against the Berlin Film Festival, where Kim Ki Duk's movie Human, Space, Time and Human was screened. The release of the movie has been delayed indefinitely. Cho, on the other hand, has made an apology and was removed from his K-drama The Cross.
Kim Ki Duk is one of South Korea's most successful film directors. Most of his movies have a theme of sex, violence, or abuse. Some of his flicks have been selected in the international film festivals His 2012 movie Pieta won the Golden Lion at Venice. Pieta and the film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring were both selected as South Korea's entry in the best foreign-language category in the Oscars.
