Award-winning South Korean director Kim Ki-Duk has been accused of rape by two female actors, a claim he denied.
The two actors, who requested anonymity, opened up about their alleged encounters with the Venice Golden Lion-winning director on "PD Notebook", a South Korean investigative news show.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the women, who is a former actor, alleged Ki-Duk sexually harassed her multiple times during the pre-production for a film she was cast in. She claimed the team was staying together during the film's making and the director raped her in her room after repeated attempts.
The actor claimed she was also raped by the now disgraced actor Cho Jae-hyun, and added that Ki-Duk had promised her the lead role in his next project in exchange for sexual favours.
Another alleged victim claimed she was sacked from a leading part in the director's film when she refused to have sex with him.
The actor had already been in headlines after she filed a lawsuit against Ki-Duk last year, saying he slapped her on the sets of the 2013 film "Moebius" and forced her to do an unscripted sex scene.
The filmmaker was ordered to pay a fine of USD 5,000 (approximately) for physical assault by a local court. She said she decided to make an appeal as she felt the ruling did not address the sexual violence she suffered.
The actor said Ki-Duk tried to force her to engage in a threesome with him and another woman two days prior to production of "Moebius".
When she refused, he fired her immediately, telling her, "I cannot work with an actor who cannot trust me."
Ki-Duk denied the claims in an SMS message to the creators of "PD Notebook".
The parts of the text read on the show read, "The #MeToo movement continues to become increasingly drastic... and bury people alive even before the truth has been revealed. I've never fulfilled my personal desires through movies.
"I have stolen a kiss... but never did anything beyond that without a woman's consent. I have been involved in intimate relationships but it was always consensual. I am, however, ashamed of this as a married family man.
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