Sex offenders: 7 Korean actors who ruined their reputations with shameful acts

Surprisingly, some of them have managed to make a comeback in the entertainment industry.

In South Korea, there are very strict rules describing the norms of behavior, both in the work of actors and in their personal lives. Any even minor violation of these rules, not to mention serious wrongdoing, can ruin a celebrity’s career and reputation. A few manage to make a comeback in the industry, but most of them simply disappear from view. Today we’re going to talk about Korean celebrities who have branded themselves as sex offenders.

1. Lee Seo Won

For many years, the reputation of this actor was impeccable. Fans considered him a nice, good-natured and very well-mannered person. However, in 2018, a scandal broke out, which completely destroyed his reputation and branded him a criminal.

In April 2018, while heavily intoxicated, the Korean actor attempted to kiss a female celebrity but was rejected by her. Lee So Won, instead of stopping, repeated the attempt. The victim then called her boyfriend and asked for his help. The actor was enraged and threatened with a knife. The police officers who arrived on the scene also got into trouble. Seo Won’s agency apologized and confirmed that their ward was very drunk. The actor himself also deeply repented and publicly apologized. He was found guilty of sexual harassment and threatening police officers.

Immediately after the incident, the Korean actor was fired from his position as host of Music Bank and was suspended from filming in the dorama About Time . Despite his remorse and admission of guilt, Lee So Won’s career was completely ruined. But viewers remember him for his vivid roles in such doramas as Reckless in Love, Floating Hospital, Liar and his lover. However, some netizens believe that Seo Won still deserves a second chance to return to the industry.

2. Kang Ji Hwan (Kang Ji Hwan)

2019 was a fateful year for this Korean actor as well. In July of that ill-fated year, two female coworkers stayed overnight in his house. Being in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, he entered their room and started making indecent proposals using force. He was eventually charged with sexual harassment and quasi-rape.

The actor partially pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to two years and six months‘ imprisonment, suspended for 36 months. The Korean actor appealed twice, but each time the court left the original sentence unchanged.

Kang Ji-hwan’s career was completely ruined. Fans of doramas can appreciate his professionalism only from his older works: Lie to Me , Hong Gil-dong , Children of a Small God and others.

3. Lee Kyung Yeon

The maestro of South Korean cinema is one of the lucky ones who, despite his badly tarnished reputation, still managed to return to the industry and resume his career. Kyung Yeon began acting in the late 80’s and for many years he was considered a role model. In 2002, a huge scandal broke out. It was proven that the actor three times entered into intimate relations with an underage girl. At the same time, this relationship acted as a ticket to the world of cinema for the future actress.

The actor was sentenced to two years of probation and 160 hours of community service. Netizens were sure that his career is over However, Lee Kyung Yeon was not going to give up. After the end of his sentence, he began working as an assistant in the film industry and only in 2011 was able to fully return to acting.

Lee Kyung-Young is familiar to fans of South Korean cinema for his roles in such doramas as D-Day, Undercover, Eighth Sense, Stranger, With the Gods: Two Worlds, Kunham: Border Island and others.

4. Go Yeon Wook

First of all, this actor is known as a member of the musical group Roo’ra. But he has also starred in such films as My Funky Family and High Impact! Revenge of the Short Legs . In late 2013, he was given a sentence of two and a half years in prison, as well as the mandatory wearing of an electronic bracelet on his leg for the next three years. Netizens considered this punishment to be too lenient and not commensurate with the severity of his crime.

The investigation proved that Young-wook molested three minors between 2010 and 2013. He carried out the unlawful acts both in his own home and in his private car.

In November 2020, for the first time in years, the Korean actor opened up his social media accounts and announced that he could no longer be in isolation. However, his post was so powerfully criticized that the very next day, Young-wook closed his account again. In August 2024, he opened his own YouTube channel. However, netizens are strongly against his return to the industry.

5. Oh Young-soo

The veteran South Korean actor gained worldwide popularity after the overwhelming success of the dorama Squid Game . It wasn’t until after his popularity had descended on him that the actor was accused of harassment in 2022. The victim reported that two incidents happened back in 2017. Once Young-soo hugged a young woman by the shoulders against her will, and the second time he kissed her on the cheek. The actor himself denied all the charges and asked the court for leniency, taking into account his age (at the time of sentencing, Young-soo was 79 years old).

But the actor was sentenced to eight months in prison with two years suspended. He also had to undergo a special 40-hour rehabilitation program designed for sex offenders. This sentence many netizens were dissatisfied, considering it too harsh and frankly unfair.

6. Jung Joon Young

The once popular musician and star of the doram Roommates and Today’s Love has become one of the key figures in a massive scandal called the Burning Sun scandal. In a nutshell, Junyoung was accused of distributing sexually explicit videos filmed and published in a private chat room without the consent of the women in the video. He was also accused of gang rape and drugging victims. The proceedings were long and high-profile. In 2019, the actor was sentenced to six years in prison, but the sentence was later reduced by a year. In 2024, Junghyun was released from prison.

Fans of the musician and actor are confident in his innocence. They sincerely believe that he will still be able to prove the truth to the public and return to the industry. By the way, the same scandal involved Seungri, who was also sentenced to a year and a half in prison.

7. Cho Jae Hyun

In February 2018, sexual allegations were also made against popular actor Jae Hyun. A few days after the case became public, he admitted his guilt, which greatly shocked all fans. Jae Hyun was married to his classmate, with whom he raised two children. The victim demanded an impressive financial compensation from the actor, but the court rejected her claim due to the statute of limitations. Despite the fact that the investigation resulted in Cho’s victory, many netizens turned against him, considering his relationship with a 17-year-old girl immoral and despicable.

After the accusations against him, Jae Hyun not only left the film industry, but also resigned from Gyeongsangnam University, where he was a professor. Today, the name of the star of the doramas Whisper and Solomon’s Perjury is only mentioned in the context of the scandal he was the center of.

Main photo: stills from the TV series

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