[Photo by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
South Korean police concluded an investigation Friday into a sex scandal involving actor Uhm Tae-woong and sent him to prosecutors on charges of buying sex at an illegal massage parlor.
Police, however, dropped a case in which the 42-year-old actor was sued for sexually assaulting a massage parlor employee in Bundang south of Seoul. Uhm visited the parlor in January after making a reservation with his mobile phone.
The 35-year-old woman filed a complaint in July when she was in detention for trial on fraud charges. She was accused of conspiring with the massage parlor operator to blackmail the actor for money. Illegal brothels disguised as massage parlors are common in South Korea and many other countries.
As the brother of popular singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa, the actor made his debut in 1998. After years of small roles and work in one-act dramas, he began to gain recognition after his villainous turn in the romantic comedy Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang. He has starred in diverse leading roles on film and television.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
