“After the theater world’s MeToo, time didn’t move backwards for us”

As Lee Yoon-taek’s prison term near its end, members of the theater industry and the public gather to seek changes

By Park Ju-yeon

Published Mar. 21, 2025

Translated by Marilyn Hook

On March 5^th, 2018 , there was a press conference entitled “MeToo’s Aftermath: Victims Speak!” at the Seoul Bar Association Hall.

This event was held to expose the sexual violence that Lee Yoon-taek, known as the “master of the theater world,” had inflicted for a long time, and it had a considerable impact on society at the time. The force behind the press conference was the “Joint Countermeasure Committee within the Arts and Culture World,” (the National Sexual Violence Counseling Center Council, the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, Theater People’s Action Against Sexual Violence, Korea Women’s Associations United, the Korea Women’s Hotline, the Korean Women and Children’s Human Rights Center, and the Korean Women Lawyers Association), which included 16 victims and 101 attorneys. Shortly after, on March 23^rd, Lee Yoon-taek was arrested, and the following year, on July 24^th, 2019, the Supreme Court sentenced him to 7 years in prison.

And on March 22^nd of this year, Lee is scheduled to be released at the completion of his prison term.

The 10th Daehakro X Forum, “After the Theater World’s Me Too Movement, Time Didn’t Move Backwards for Us.” Director Lee Yeon-joo served as moderator, playwright Jeon Seo-ah and Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center director Kim Hye-jeong gave opening remarks, actor Lee San, dramaturge Jang Ji-young, and producer Shalmue gave presentations for the first part, and Song Jin-hee, head of the Busan Culture and Arts Solidarity Against Sexual Violence, Eo Ji-young, director Shim Ji-hoo, and director Lee Jae-ryeong gave presentations for the second part. ©Ilda

The Daehakro X Forum, a group created to foster a culture of voluntary discussion among theater people on various current issues in the theater industry, held its 10th forum, “After the Theater World’s Me Too Movement, Time Didn’t Move Backwards for Us,” to discuss the MeToo movement once again at this moment in time.

 

Taking place at the main auditorium of the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Seoul from 2:00 PM on March 17^th, the forum attracted an audience packed with members of the theater industry, theater patrons, and art college students, showing there is keen interest in the situation of the post-MeToo theater world.

Looking back at Lee Yoon-Taek’s crimes: how were such things possible?

In her presentation “After the Conclusion of Lee Yoon-taek’s Sexual Assault Case:  Questions for Solidarity for Surviving Daily Life as an Involved Person,” Lee San, actor and director of Gender Equal Artists’ Workroom Yiro, explained the circumstances of the crimes.

Lee Yoon-taek had a robust career in the theater world and ran the largest theater company in Korea, Theatre Troupe Georipae. After prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon sparked the MeToo movement in Korea by speaking out  in 2018 about her experiences of sexual harassment in the prosecution service, many victims in the theater world came forward to accuse Lee of sexual harassment and assault.

According to Ms. Lee’s presentation at the forum, the scale of the misconduct was so significant that “at least 26 victim statements were submitted to the defense team.” She said, “Only crimes that had not yet passed the statute of limitations were dealt with in the trial; the number of victims was actually much higher.”

How could such a thing be possible? Analyzing the cause is an essential point for change. Ms. Lee pointed out that “there were 18 victims whose ages could be confirmed in the statements obtained by the plaintiffs, and 15 of them were first victimized when they were under 25 years old,” and explained, “So the proportion of those who had just graduated from high school or college and were just entering the workforce was high.” This is not to say that Lee Yoon-taek targeted them because they were young or naïve but rather that he was well aware that they were in a vulnerable position as the youngest [maknae] and newest members of the theater troupe.

“One of the statements they heard a lot from victims was, ‘At the time, I didn’t realize I was being victimized,’” Ms. Lee said.

She continued, “Even if (the victims) recognized that [Lee Yoon-taek’s] actions were wrong, it was extremely difficult for them to interpret or describe them as abuse or unethical. The troupe members did not have the authority to make such interpretations. Instead, victims were likely to blame themselves for being unable to tolerate these sexual assaults in the form of massages given to ‘Teacher’ or part of the acting guidance provided by ‘Teacher,’ or they were discouraged by the fear that people around them would accuse them of trying to use sex transactionally to get a role.”

Actor Lee San (seated) giving her presentation “After the Conclusion of Lee Yoon-taek’s Sexual Assault Case:  Questions for Solidarity for Surviving Daily Life as an Involved Person” at the 10th Daehakro X Forum, “After the Theater World’s Me Too Movement, Time Didn’t Move Backwards for Us.”

The way the troupe was run and the way guidance was provided to actors were also problematic. “All decisions and all evaluations of members were under Lee Yoon-taek’s authority,” and it is said that the evaluations could be drastically different “depending on his mood.”

Regarding the situation faced by the members of the troupe at the time, Ms. Lee explained, “Today they might be the best actors, but tomorrow they’re unfit for any role. One day, they’re suddenly ordered to leave the troupe, and even after leaving, slander continues to be spread to damage their reputations. Or he might demand very hard work from them, which makes it hard to maintain mental and physical stability.”

Ms. Lee also said that the victims had a more difficult time because “due to the fact that it wasn’t a situation in which they could look into their own minds or those of their colleagues, they could not help but feel isolated despite living together in a communal environment, and had to simply continue to carry considerable anxiety.”

Therefore, “Lee Yoon-taek was able to easily transform sexual violence into ‘massage’ and ‘method acting,’” and “since the troupe members had already learned the actor’s norm that they should always be willing to do whatever is necessary for the performance, they could not help but feel that attempts to distinguish between method acting and sexual violence were inappropriate or dangerous.”

Changes after the MeToo movement

Since Lee Yoon-taek’s sexual assaults became public knowledge, many people in the theater world have sought change. Dramaturge Jang Ji-young explained, “In addition to accusing individual perpetrators, efforts have continued to create a safe and equal theater world, and various groups have been created and are in operation, regulations have been made, and the atmosphere in the theater world as a whole has changed.”

“After the MeToo movement in 2018, the ‘Theater People’s Action Against Sexual Violence’ was formed and continues to be active, and the KTS Working Group was created and distributed the ‘Korean Performing Arts Autonomy Regulations’. (Related [Korean-language] articles: ‘Sexual violence must not occur in our theaters’: The promise of performing artists,’  ‘Sexual/violence prevention regulations do not hinder creativity’) In Busan, the Busan Cultural Arts Community Anti-Sexual Violence Alliance was formed, and groups were also formed throughout the provinces, like the Jeollabuk-do Women’s Cultural Arts Alliance in North Jeolla Province.”

Theater patrons also called for and sought change. “Starting with the #WithYou rally in February 2018, audiences raised their voices about the theater industry’s unequal culture both online and offline,” Ms. Jang said.

Song Jin-hee, head of the Busan Cultural Arts Community Anti-Sexual Violence Alliance, said, “Through the MeToo movement in 2018, sexual harassment and sexual violence incidents in the Busan area were publicized by the victims. Afterwards, the Busan Women’s Association and artists worked together to establish MeToo measures in the arts community, and the Busan Cultural Arts Community Sexual Violence Special Response Center was created and operated temporarily.”

While “this special response center was closed down after four months,” Ms. Song continued, due to the resulting outcry arguing for its necessity, “Busan City has been operating the Busan Cultural Arts Community Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Prevention Center since 2019.”

Things that haven’t changed, and backlash

After the theater world’s MeToo movement, many artists have made a variety of efforts towards putting structures in place to prevent the recurrence of its causes.

Ms. Song reported, “As the organization tasked with operating (the Busan Cultural Arts Community Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Prevention Center) has changed in 2025 due to the role being opened up for public bidding, operation of the prevention center in its existing form, which had been focused on victim support and incident response, has been suspended.” She continued, “We have reached a point where we need to think about the meaning of the prevention center, the direction of its operations, and a stable financing and operating model.”

She continued, “In fact, the backlash against the prevention center continues. We continue to talk about the necessity of the prevention center, but on the other hand there are still those who say, ‘Why should the arts and culture community provide support for victims? This kind of thing is not our job.’ Also, there are local sites where cartels of perpetrators are firmly established, spreading rumors about the prevention center like ‘they don’t have expertise in victim support’ and ‘the center lacks credibility,’ to discourage or attack its activities.”

There was also criticism of schools for falling behind in this area when they should be the first to create change and provide equal spaces for both students and faculty.

Shim Ji-hu, a theatrical director who is active in the ‘Joint Countermeasures Committee for Resolving the Sexual Harassment Case of Professor P and the Drinking Class Problem at Korea National University of Arts(KNUA),’ told the audience about several problems she discovered while working on the committee:

“The school mistakenly believes that the core of post-incident measures is to understand and comfort the hurt students; they try to have private conversations such as phone calls or one-on-one meetings instead of communicating officially by email; there is no bridge for departmental issues to be passed on to the Office of Academic Affairs and handled— except perhaps the department professors, but they are very tired of that work; there is no one to solve the problem so there are only repeated apologies; the school is more concerned about the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s opinions than expected, and so they ask the students if they can let it go at this point.”

Having criticized the school’s irresponsibility, Ms. Shim continued, "As of 2024, no fewer than six professors at KNUA have been accused of and disciplined for abuse of hierarchy and sexual violence incidents," and "While the disciplinary action against Professor P has not yet been made public, the others received suspensions of one month, three months, and dismissal from their professor emeritus positions. I don't know the specifics, but there are too many (offending professors), and the disciplinary action is too light."

She also pointed out that “what is just as problematic as the slap-on-the-wrist punishments is the [other] post-incident measures that stop at gestures,” explaining, “In the case of Professor P, our committee demanded that a fact-finding committee be immediately convened to protect the victim, and that the school examine and resolve as a community its hierarchical environment that enables power-based sexual abuse and obstructs proper measures. In response, KNUA formed a ‘Task Force for Creating a Safe Learning Environment’ in December of last year and held an initial meeting. And then it never met again.”

Regarding a professor who committed an offense and was reinstated after a suspension, producer Shim Ji-hoo criticized, “Even though many students opposed the professor’s reinstatement by taking a leave of absence, the school did not take this seriously and did not take action,” and raised her voice in anger to say, “By continuing to act irresponsibly and turning a blind eye, the school seems to be condoning professors’ abuses of power and sexual violence.”

A picket sign at “2018 Minutes of Continued Speaking,” an event put on by “Citizens’ Action with the #MeToo Movement” at Seoul’s Cheonggye Plaza on March 22-23. © Ilda

What Lee Yoon-Taek’s victims did to protect each other

This 10^th Daehakro X Forum was also planned as a follow-up to the 9^th forum, “How to Deal with Backlash in the Theater World – Via the Movement to Boycott Medea and Its Double.”

Playwright and director Jeon Seo-ah explained, "[That forum] was a public opportunity created to discuss the unresolved issue of perpetrators’ reinstatement, the backlash throughout the theater world, and the responsibility of public theaters who’ve ignored demands for a safe creative environment. However, these intentions were made meaningless [when some attendees made] advocacy statements representing the feelings and position of the perpetrator, statements that did not consider the victim and constituted secondary victimization, and statements that exactly parroted the hierarchical violence of the theater world. It was chaos."

However, the Daehakro X Forum’s organizers did not back down after the experience, but instead planned the 10th forum to hear more diverse stories from more people. They did not stop taking steps to create changes in the performing arts world. The most mentioned and emphasized sentiment not only among the presenters at the forum but also from the floor was “Nevertheless, solidarity.”

Song Jin-hee said, “Solidarity is not some grand thing. It can start from just sharing what each person is experiencing in the field.” She continued, “Each person’s situation is different but similar, so there is a point where they can connect, and there are moments of solidarity that arise from sharing and providing support for each other’s situations. That is why we need a process of acting together even in uncertain moments that are hard to grasp.”

Theatrical director Lee Jae-ryeong, who was present at the press conference held by Lee Yoon-taek’s accusers seven years ago, said, “These days, I sometimes do theater work and sometimes work night shifts at Coupang.” At the online shopping giant as well, she noted, “When the manager yells and disciplines someone, the air around them freezes. I think creating fear like this (with power) happens in any group. If that fear continues, people end up living with it without even realizing it’s fear, and the members [of the group] end up not being able to communicate with each other.” That’s why, she emphasized, “being together, talking to each other and communicating, and giving opportunities  for conversation are very helpful.”

Lee San revealed that Lee Yoon-taek’s victims worked ceaselessly to protect both themselves and others from him:

“Even in a situation where they could not confront Lee Yoon-taek, the victims tried to minimize the harm he inflicted. There was a victim who was giving him a massage with a younger member of the troupe when Lee Yoon-taek tried to send her away so he could be alone with the younger member. She anticipated that sexual assault would occur and volunteered to stay instead. There was also a victim who gave a massage in the place of a colleague who had lost sleep because of the [hours-long, late-night] massages. It was only when this power was put toward a collective effort rather than individual efforts that Lee Yoon-taek could be punished.

“Most of the accusers shared their experiences of victimization that they would never want to bring up again more out of a desire to see justice for the crimes committed against their colleagues. And while they desperately hoped for more victims to testify so that Mr. Lee would receive a longer sentence, to this day they have not revealed the identity of any victims who did not agree to give a statement and so have allowed those women to protect their daily lives.

“They ran to comfort each other without hesitation, held the hands of the victims who came to testify in court, fed them, put them to bed, and spent time with them.”

Original Article : https://ildaro.com/10142