Film Director Kim Ki Duk Sues "PD Notebook" And Actress For Defamation And Damages

FIlm director Kim Ki Duk has filed a lawsuit against MBC for reporting about sexual harassment accusations against him by actress “A.”

On March 29, it was revealed that the Kim Ki Duk filed a lawsuit on March 8 against A and MBC for 1 billion won (approximately $880,000) in damages. The director claimed that he suffered damage due to false reporting from A and MBC.

In 2017, A sued Kim Ki Duk for assault and coercion, indecent assault, and defamation for allegedly assaulting her on the set of the 2013 film “Moebius.” The actress claimed that Kim Ki Duk slapped her and pressured her into a sex scene that wasn’t in the movie script. This led her to withdraw from the film and her role was replaced with a different actress. In March 2018, “PD Notebook” raised suspicions about accusations against Kim Ki Duk’s sexual violence based on A’s testimony.

After the broadcast, Kim Ki Duk sued A for false allegations and “PD Notebook” for defamation. A and the staff of “PD Notebook” were both dismissed without indictment and cleared of suspicion. At the time, the director responded to the allegations by stating that A cut off contact, suddenly quit after filming two times, and was replaced with another actress after not showing up to the set on the third day. About her allegations, he said the actions were taken from a director’s perspective to pursue realism in the scene.

He admitted to just the assault charges in court and was ordered to pay a fine of 5 million won (approximately $4,400), and was cleared of charges of sexual assault due to lack of evidence.

Kim Ki Duk also filed a defamation lawsuit against women’s group Womenlink for 300 million won (approximately $264,000) for damages in February. He’s claiming Womenlink damaged his reputation by sending an official document to cancel his opening film “Human, Space, Time and Human” at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan.

In August 2018, actor Jo Jae Hyun also took legal action against MBC’s investigative journalism program “PD Notebook” for a broadcast about a Korean-Japanese actress’s claims that she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a broadcasting station by the actor.

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