Musical actor Nam Kyung Joo accused of sexual assault, professorship revoked "Teaching style not appropriate"

Musical actor Nam Kyung Joo has been handed over to the prosecution on charges of sexual assault, and it has come to light that the course he was scheduled to teach was urgently reassigned to another instructor. The university reportedly took swift preemptive action after becoming aware of the case.

According to Sports Seoul, Nam Kyung Joo was slated to teach Musical Production Practice (1), a required course for third-year students in the musical major at the Department of Performing Arts at Hongik University this semester. However, two weeks before the start of classes, the university informed students that the course instructor had been changed from Nam Kyung Joo to Lecturer A. The stated reason was “personal circumstances,” with no further details provided.

In a March 12 phone interview with Sports Seoul, Hongik University’s Public Relations Office confirmed that Nam Kyung Joo, formerly a full-time professor in the musical department, had been “suspended from his position following a faculty disciplinary committee decision.” The office added that the current faculty list on the department’s website would be updated in due course.

The incident has also brought scrutiny to Nam Kyung Joo’s teaching methods. Reports indicate that students had previously raised concerns about the intensity and nature of his instruction, particularly regarding the challenge of explaining emotionally charged artistic concepts through theoretical frameworks.

The news has sent shockwaves through the musical theatre industry, where Nam Kyung Joo, a first-generation representative of the genre, was widely respected. Colleagues expressed disbelief that such a prominent figure would be involved in a scandal of this nature.

On March 11, Seoul’s Bangbae Police Station confirmed that Nam Kyung Joo had been transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office last month on charges of sexual assault using coercion.

The allegations involve an incident last year in Gangnam District, Seoul, where Nam Kyung Joo is accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman identified as A. The victim reportedly fled the scene and reported the incident to the police due to feeling threatened. Nam Kyung Joo has denied the charges, but authorities deemed the evidence sufficient to forward the case to the prosecution.

Born in 1982, Nam Kyung Joo made his debut in the play 'Woyzeck' and appeared on the musical stage in 1985 with 'Porgy and Bess.' Over the years, he starred in numerous large-scale musicals, including 'Guys and Dolls,' 'Les Misérables,' 'Grease,' '42nd Street,' 'Chicago,' 'Mamma Mia!,' and 'Rent.' As a first-generation leading musical actor, he also expanded his presence in film and television, contributing significantly to the development of musical theatre in South Korea.