[Exclusive]South Gyeongju, was the gaze burdensome? 'Sexual assault of female student' trial postponed again

*This content was translated by AI.

The case of musical actor South Gyeongju, indicted for sexually assaulting a student, has been transferred to a collegiate panel, and the trial has once again been postponed until August.

According to StarNews' investigation on the 9th, South Gyeongju requested through his legal representative on the 8th that the pretrial conference date regarding the charge of sexual intercourse with a subordinate be postponed. The court accepted the request, and the schedule was rescheduled for August 26.

Previously, Seoul Central District Court made a decision to convene a collegiate panel on the 3rd regarding South Gyeongju's charge of sexual intercourse with a subordinate. The case was initially assigned to Criminal Division 13 (single judge), but was reassigned to Criminal Collegiate Panel 29 (three judges) following the decision to convene a collegiate panel.

Convening a collegiate panel is a procedure in which a single-judge case is transferred to a collegiate panel for trial, considering factors such as the importance of the case. The court may assign cases with complex factual or legal issues, significant social impact, or requiring specialized judgment to a collegiate panel.

With the case transferred to a collegiate panel, the trial schedule was adjusted, and the first trial originally scheduled for this day was postponed again. A pretrial conference is now planned for the 15th.

Previously, South Gyeongju had also requested a postponement ahead of the first trial on June 12 under the single-judge trial by Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 13. During this process, it was confirmed that South Gyeongju replaced his legal team.

Meanwhile, the Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Division 2 of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted South Gyeongju without detention on May 24, applying the charge of sexual intercourse with a subordinate.

According to police, South Gyeongju was transferred to the Prosecutors' Office in February after being accused of sexually assaulting female student A using his social status and influence at an unspecified location in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in December 2025. Student A reportedly reported the incident to emergency services (112) immediately after it occurred. South Gyeongju denied the allegations during police investigation, but police concluded that the charges were substantiated and forwarded the case to the Prosecutors' Office.

Subsequently, South Gyeongju's side requested a referral to criminal mediation procedures at the Prosecutors' Office in an attempt to reach a settlement, but it reportedly failed due to the victim's refusal.

Until recently, South Gyeongju had been operating independently without an agency and has not issued any official statement. He also deleted his Instagram account and appears to be erasing all traces related to the incident, so his appearance in this trial is expected to draw significant attention. Shortly after the sexual assault allegations surfaced, Hongik University, where South Gyeongju was serving as a professor in the Department of Performing Arts, convened a disciplinary committee and removed him from his position. South Gyeongju served as an associate professor in the Performing Arts·Musical major at Hongik University's Department of Performing Arts until 2025, conducting classes, but was relieved of his duties just before the start of this semester.

Born in 1964 and currently 62 years old, South Gyeongju is a veteran figure representing the first generation of Korean musicals. After debuting with the play "Porgy and Bess" in 1984, he appeared in numerous musical productions including "The Lady and the Tramps," "West Side Story," "Les Misérables," "Grease," and "42nd Street."

South Gyeongju continued his activities in 2025, appearing in works such as "Hidden Love" and "The Show! Silla-Gyeongju."

Meanwhile, as this sexual assault case has come to light, South Gyeongju's past record of two drunk driving incidents and one instance of unlicensed driving has also been brought under renewed scrutiny.

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*This content was translated by AI.