TV personality Yoo Young-jae sentenced to prison for sexual assault

By KTimes

TV personality Yoo Young-jae, 61, has been sentenced to prison and taken into custody after being convicted of sexually assaulting the older sister of actor Sunwoo Eun-sook, 65.

The Suwon District Court's Seongnam branch sentenced Yoo to two years and six months in prison, mandating 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposing a five-year employment ban on him from working at institutions that serve children, adolescents or the disabled.

“The victim’s testimony is detailed and consistent, showing no contradictions or irrational elements when compared to actual experiences. Based on the evidence, it is credible and establishes that Yoo forcibly molested the victim five times,” the court said.

“According to Supreme Court precedent, there is no basis to dismiss the victim’s claims, as they have no motive to provide false testimony.”

The court criticized Yoo’s actions, saying, “Given the relationship between the victim and the defendant, as well as the nature and method of the crime, the offense is severe. Yoo has not been forgiven by the victim, [as he] continues to deny the charges and has shown no genuine remorse or effort to make amends.”

However, the court acknowledged mitigating factors, including Yoo’s lack of prior sexual offense records and petitions for leniency submitted by acquaintances.

Yoo, who denied the allegations during the trial, claiming the touches were “expressions of closeness,” lowered his head after the sentencing.

Yoo was accused of sexually assaulting Sunwoo’s older sister five times between March and October 2023, during his marriage to Sunwoo. The victim testified during the second trial on Dec. 10, saying that Yoo had repeatedly sexually harassed her, including hugging her from behind and whispering, “Did you sleep well?”

Sunwoo’s legal representative issued a statement regarding the two-year and six-month prison sentence handed down to Yoo, Thursday. “We respect the court’s reasonable and sensible ruling,” the statement said. “We hope this case serves as an opportunity for society to reflect on the issue of sexual violence within families.”

Yoo married Sunwoo in 2022, but the couple divorced in April 2023. Sunwoo’s annulment lawsuit is ongoing and unrelated to this case.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.