Kim Ki-duk, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, has lodged a damages suit against an actress who claimed she was sexually assaulted by him and a local television broadcaster that reported on the sexual assault allegations against him.
According to legal authorities on Friday, Kim filed a 1 billion-won ($880,700) suit earlier this month to the Seoul Western District Court against the actress and MBC, insisting that he suffered damages from their false claims.
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This file photo taken on June 12, 2018, shows South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk listening to reporters` questions at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors` Office in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
In August 2017, the actress, whose identity is being withheld, pressed assault and coercion charges against Kim, claiming that he forced her to perform unscripted sex scenes during the shooting of a film. Citing insufficient evidence, the prosecution cleared Kim of the sexual assault charges but did impose a 5 million-won fine on the 58-year-old for slapping her.
Against this backdrop, Kim later accused the actress of calumny over the sexual assault charges and also filed a defamation suit against MBC, which aired a program based on the actress' statement. But the prosecution decided on a non-indictment for the actress and MBC, saying it could not conclude whether their claims were false or not.
In February, Kim filed a 300 million-won suit against Korean Womenlink, claiming that he suffered financial damage from the civic group's move to remove his film from a movie festival. (Yonhap)
