KUALA LUMPUR: South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in could now be facing a sexual assault charge, after a 30-year-old man has filed a criminal complaint against him.
A news agency reported this today, quoting a statement by the Seoul police.
Investigators are considering the possibility that Yoo, 37, had been under the influence of drugs when the alleged incident occurred.
The accuser said he was sexually assaulted by Yoo while sleeping at a unit of a commercial-residential building in Yongsan, Seoul, on July 14.
The unit is not the home of Yoo nor the accuser. There were also others at the scene.
Officials said they are open to the possibility that Yoo had been under the influence of illegal drugs.
The accuser has been questioned and subjected to a rapid drug test. The results came back negative.
The Seoul Yongsan Police are investigating the imitative rape case involving the star known for films such as Burning (2018) and TV series including Hellbound (2021), with plans to summon him for questioning soon.
As stipulated by South Korea's Criminal Act, 'imitative rape' refers to rape via non-genital body parts.
Yoo's lawyer released a statement this morning denying the allegations and urged the public to refrain from "unnecessary speculation" with regard to his client.
This allegation is another blow to the embattled Yoo, who is currently on trial for repeated illegal drug use.
He is accused of illegally using medical anaesthetic propofol on 181 occasions between 2020 and 2022, smoking and instigating others to smoke marijuana, and instigating others to destroy criminal evidence.