Musical actor Han Ji-sang recently confronted allegations of sexual harassment against him head-on and even released an audio recording from the time, and his agency also announced legal action against malicious comments and the spreading of false information.
On the 16th, the agency Blue Stage posted on its official social media, "We have confirmed that posts that are different from the facts, unverified claims, malicious slander and posts that damage the reputation of actor Han Ji-sang have been continuously spread through some online communities and social media. Our company takes these matters very seriously," it posted.
Earlier, Han Ji-sang was embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment in 2020 involving a female fan, identified as A. At the time, Han Ji-sang's side said he and A had mutual feelings and had been in contact for an extended period, and that there was no sexual assault against the other party's will. He also sued A on charges of attempted extortion and attempted coercion, but the prosecution decided not to indict.
However, the controversy resurfaced after the appointment of a voice instructor for the Department of Acting Arts at Sungkyunkwan University for the first semester of the 2026 academic year was canceled. The department said it decided to replace the instructor after considering the poster controversy and students' complaints.
Ultimately, on the 13th Han Ji-sang posted an explanatory video on his YouTube channel, mentioning the entire process from his 2017 meeting with woman A to the lawsuit. Han Ji-sang emphasized that his meeting with A was not the relationship of a fan and an actor but a man and woman who liked each other introduced by an acquaintance. To prove that the situation at the time was not coercive, Han Ji-sang even released recorded conversations with A.
In the recordings, A said, "He didn't sexually assault me. It wasn't one-sided. At that moment it felt good. It felt good, and if you were going to try to do something legally with this you couldn't do anything," acknowledging that the physical contact at the time was mutually consensual. Han Ji-sang drew a line, saying, "Frankly, in that atmosphere we expressed mutual attraction and there was physical contact. But it wasn't one-sided; it was a situation that progressed that way in the process of expressing mutual attraction."
Han Ji-sang also said that after they ended the relationship, A suddenly contacted him in 2019 and demanded a large sum of compensation. He said she presented conditions such as "1: 500 million to 1 billion won" and "2: one year of a public relationship," which he said were not realistically acceptable.
So why did the prosecution not indict A on attempted extortion charges? Han Ji-sang explained that it was "a result considering the special nature of male-female relationships, such as that it was not a threat sufficient to cause harm," and pointed out that this did not mean he had committed sexual harassment. He disclosed that the indictment for defamation recently filed against malicious commenters states the fact that "the victim, Han Ji-sang, has never committed a sex crime nor been punished for a sex crime."
At the end of the video, Han Ji-sang emphasized his innocence, saying, "Again, regarding my male-female relationship and private life 8 years ago, I absolutely did not commit a crime. And in that private life I absolutely did not act unethically."
After the video containing Han Ji-sang's position was released, the agency also posted a notice announcing legal action. The agency said, "Blue Stage places the protection of its artists' rights and reputation as a top priority, and is proceeding with strong legal action without leniency or settlement against any acts that infringe on artists' rights, such as spreading false information, malicious slander, insulting posts and defamation," adding, "We are continuously collecting and monitoring materials related to relevant posts and comments, and have proceeded with legal procedures through legal representatives for multiple cases."
The agency said, "In this process, the identities of some authors were identified and investigations were carried out, and some cases have now reached indictment. We will respond strictly by the same standards to similar cases identified in the future," and warned, "Using anonymity to damage an artist's reputation or to spread false information is clearly illegal, and our company will hold those responsible to the end for such acts."
[Photo] OSEN database, YouTube capture, social media
[OSEN]