And then suddenly it was over. The case everyone was talking about, in which a trainee actress accused actor Park Shi Hoo of sexual assault, looked like it would go on indefinitely. But without any explanation, the trainee, known as "A," has dropped all charges against Park Shi Hoo, and in turn he dropped his countersuit against her.
Did they settle out of court? If so, how much did they settle for? And if they did, was it really rape or just a case of both parties having made poorly thought out, soju-inspired choices? Was new evidence found, evidence that weakened the actress' case? The reasons may never be known. But the damage has been done to both Park Shi Hoo's career and that of the trainee actress.
No reasons were given when the prosecution announced yesterday that the actress retracted her lawsuit. According to the prosecution, "On May 9, A's lawyers filed papers to drop the suit. For cases of sexual assault, if the suit is dropped, then prosecution no longer has the authority to indict."
After they spent a night together, in February, "A" filed charges against Park Shi Hoo, claiming he sexually assaulted her. He claimed their relations were consensual but she said they barely knew each other and she was too drunk to consent. Witnesses at the restaurant where they had dinner with friends said the actress was not drunk. Nor were any date rape drugs found in her system. Also, texts between the actress and a friend in the next few days discussed asking Park Shi Hoo for a large amount of money.
With such evidence working on the actor's behalf, it seemed like the case was going in his favor, but prompted by the results of lie detector tests, the police sent the case for prosecution. Both Park Shi Hoo and his friend Mr. Kim were indicted. Park counter-sued "A," as well as the CEO of his former agency and A's friend, known only as "B." Those counter suits are also in the process of being dropped, say the actor's representatives.
When the actor's legal team criticized the way the police handled the case, and gave the media some evidence of their own, a civil group sued the actor and his legal team for divulging information about trainee "A." Leaking information about a victim of sexual assault is against the law. However, now that the case against Park Shi Hoo has been dropped, that case may also be canceled, as trainee "A" is no longer technically a rape victim.
Park Shi Hoo's fans are relieved that his name was cleared but it may be a while before the actor works again.
