Koh gets 5 years, anklet for sex attacks on minors

A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced TV personality Koh Young-wook to five years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting minors.

Koh, 37, the former member of the 90s popular singing group Roo-La, was found guilty of a total of four accounts of rape and sexual assault against three teenagers between July 2010 and December 2012.

The Seoul Western District Court also ordered that Koh wear an electronic monitoring anklet for 10 years and that his personal information be made available to the public for seven years upon his release from prison.

“The defendant abused his status as a celebrity that draws attention and envy from the youth, and committed the crime against the minors,” the court said in its ruling.

It marks the first time for a local celebrity to be ordered to wear the electronic anklet since a revised law on electronic monitoring was implemented in September 2008.

Under the law, convicted sex offenders who are likely to repeat crimes after their release are subject to wearing the traceable device.

Meanwhile, Ko’s conviction is sounding alarm bells to the entertainment industry that has recently been tainted with a series of high-profile sex scandals involving aspiring celebrity and minors.

Earlier this month, police wrapped an investigation into TV actor Park Si-hoo and asked the prosecution that he be charged with raping a trainee actress.

The 36-year-old Park has denied charges against him, saying that there was no forcibleness in the alleged rape. (Yonhap News)