Court dismisses appeal by composer Yoo Jae-hwan in sexual assault case

Composer and TV personality Yoo Jae-hwan, who was convicted of sexual assault, had his appeal rejected, according to legal sources on Thursday.

The Seoul Southern District Court dismissed Yoo's appeal and upheld the lower court's sentence of a 5 million won ($3,400) fine and 40 hours in a sexual violence treatment program.

He is accused of forcibly assaulting a victim he came to know after posting on his social media in June 2023 that he would write songs for people without charging a composing fee.

"The victim's statement appears credible, and the lower court appears to have determined the sentence based on a comprehensive review of the evidence against the defendant," the court said. "We find no particular grounds for reducing the sentence, and it is difficult to accept the defendant's argument that the sentencing was unjust."

Yoo became widely known to the public in 2015 as a guest star on MBC's variety show "Infinite Challenge" (2005-18) and went on to appear on a range of entertainment programs, including the music composing reality show "Sing for You" (2016-17).

BY JANG GU-SEUL [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]