"Sunwoo Eun-sook's Older Sister Was Never Sexually Harassed"… Yoo Young-jae Denies Charges at First Trial

First Trial Date Held on the Morning of the 12th
"No Facts of Forced Molestation," Denies Charges
Prosecution Selects Sunwoo Eun-sook and Older Sister as Witnesses

Broadcaster and former announcer Yoo Young-jae denied the charges at the first trial, accused of forcibly molesting actress Sunwoo Eun-sook's elder sister. Gyeongin Broadcasting, Starit Entertainment

Former announcer and broadcaster Yoo Young-jae (60) has denied the charges in his first trial after being indicted without detention on allegations of sexual assault against actress Sunwoo Eun-sook's (64) biological older sister.

At 11 a.m. on the 12th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch (Chief Judge Heo Yong-gu) held the first hearing for Yoo Young-jae, who was indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (sexual assault by a family member). He is accused of forcibly touching Sunwoo Eun-sook's biological older sister on five occasions since last year.

At the trial, Yoo Young-jae's defense attorney stated, "We deny the charges," adding, "We were unable to copy some of the evidence submitted by the prosecution, including transcripts, so we could not verify the related contents. The specific denial of the charges, including the evidence, will be clarified in the next trial." When the court directly asked Yoo Young-jae, "Is it true that you did not commit the sexual assault?" he replied, "Yes," denying the allegations.

The court accepted two witnesses requested by the prosecution during the hearing: Yoo Young-jae's ex-wife Sunwoo Eun-sook and the victim, Sunwoo Eun-sook's biological older sister. Furthermore, the court decided to hold three more hearings to conduct witness examinations of the victim and Sunwoo Eun-sook (December 10 for Sunwoo Eun-sook's older sister, December 17 for Sunwoo Eun-sook) and the defendant (December 24), after which the arguments will be concluded.

Previously, Yoo Young-jae and Sunwoo Eun-sook remarried in October 2022 but divorced in April after one year and six months. Following this, Sunwoo Eun-sook's side issued an official statement saying, "Two days after the divorce, we learned through media reports that Yoo Young-jae had concealed a common-law marriage before marrying," and filed an annulment lawsuit. The scandal deepened when it was revealed that Yoo Young-jae was also accused of sexually assaulting Sunwoo Eun-sook's biological older sister. On the 21st of last month, Sunwoo Eun-sook's legal representatives announced, "The Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office recognized the charges against Yoo Young-jae for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (sexual assault by a family member) concerning Sunwoo Eun-sook's older sister on the 18th and proceeded with an indictment without detention."

Subsequently, Lee Jin-ho, a former entertainment reporter turned YouTuber, claimed on his YouTube channel, "During the investigation, when Yoo Young-jae completely denied the charges, Sunwoo Eun-sook's older sister's health rapidly deteriorated," and "Sunwoo Eun-sook herself was mentally shocked to the extent that she had to visit a psychiatrist and became weakened." He added, "The decisive evidence that led the investigative authorities to recognize Yoo Young-jae's charges was a transcript of a conversation between Sunwoo Eun-sook's older sister and Yoo Young-jae," explaining, "The approximately 20-minute transcript detailed how they accessed it, the method, and the circumstances. It also included content where Yoo Young-jae partially admitted to his charges."