Jo Duk-je found guilty of sexual harassment

The Supreme Court found actor Jo Duk-je guilty of sexual harassment on Thursday, ending a lengthy legal dispute that began when Ban Min-jung (pictured), Jo’s co-star in “Analog Human,” filed a lawsuit in 2016 alleging an assault on set.

The lawsuit alleged that Jo, who was playing the role of an abusive husband, was not acting when he struck Ban on the shoulder in an elevator scene. Ban asserted that it was sexual harassment. The lawsuit also said that Jo stuck his hands inside Ban’s pants numerous times afterward.

In December 2016, a lower court found Jo innocent. Ban appealed the case, and an appellate court in October 2017 found Jo guilty.

Jo then appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which handed down the final guilty verdict on Thursday. He was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

After the decision, Jo posted a 47-second behind-the-scenes video on his Facebook account that he had taken while the two actors were performing the scene in question. “Everyone, please see for your eyes and determine whether this is really sexual harassment or just acting,” Jo wrote in the caption.

In a news conference after the trial on Thursday, Ban said, “I hope that my trial will be the start of eradicating any filmmaking tradition that covers up sexual harassment in the name of acting.” Ban made herself public for the first time after the Supreme Court’s decision.

By Jeong Ju-won