SEOUL • With #MeToo spreading through the South Korean entertainment scene, broadcasters and production companies are grappling with the repercussions.

Last Saturday, the production team of the tvN drama Cross announced that actor Jo Jae Hyeon would drop out of the show. The announcement came after actress Choi Yul wrote on Instagram last Friday that Jo had sexually abused her and he issued an official apology last Saturday.

"I confess," the 52-year-old said in the statement. "I've been living a wrong life. Throughout my nearly 30-year career, I've made so many mistakes, said and done so many bad things. I am a sinner. I bow my head in apology."

Eight episodes of Cross, in whhich Jo plays a major role, have already aired. The production team is reportedly rushing to create a scenario that will lead to Jo's departure from the show.

On Monday, actor Oh Dal Su, 49, denied allegations that he had sexually harassed young women of the now-defunct Yeonhee Street Theatre Troupe in 1990. The denial came three days after accusations against him surfaced online.

He was once part of the troupe founded by stage director Lee Youn Taek, who recently apologised for sexually abusing actresses. Oh is scheduled to star in the tvN drama My Mister, set to premiere on March 21.

Last week, actor Cho Min Ki, 52, resigned as professor at Cheongju University, after he was accused of sexually harassing students. He also gave up his role in a new OCN drama, Children Of A Lesser God, set to air on Saturday. The channel said actor Lee Jae Yong would replace Cho.

KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK