His career came to a complete stop when he was found guilty of soliciting prostitution.
Actor Uhm Tae Woong, who was shunned from all activities in 2017 after he was investigated and found guilty of soliciting prostitution, will return to the acting scene at the 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN).
The K-Drama I Kill U, also featuring KARA‘s Kang Jiyoung and HIGHLIGHT‘s Lee Kikwang, completed production in August 2023. The first K-Drama to be directed by film director Yoo Ha, I Kill U is now set to be screened on July 9, 2025 (KST). Uhm Tae Woong is reported to take on the supporting role of a chaebol CEO’s right-hand man.
In celebration, Uhm Tae Woong’s wife, ballerina Yoon Hye Jin, took to her social media platform and thanked her late mother for “watching over” her and her husband. She has been extremely forgiving and supportive of her husband, even after the news of his scandal led to the miscarriage of the baby she was carrying at the time.
In the more recent years, she has been highlighting him more prominently in her YouTube videos, celebrating his achievements in other endeavors like his first photography exhibition.
I quietly watched him endure and gather himself during all this time. There were moments during the wait when I had hopes and imagined this day, but sometimes, I also thought maybe it would never come…
…Coincidentally, the premiere day is my mother’s birthday. It might just be a coincidence, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s watching over us.
— Yoon Hye Jin
This marks Uhm Tae Woong’s first return to a K-Drama since 2016 when his prostitution scandal put a full stop on his career.
In August 2016, Uhm Tae Woong was reported to the police for sexual assault of a woman at a massage parlor. The woman involved accused him of sexually assaulting her. This accusation was proven false and the sexual assault charge was dropped—but because the police ultimately concluded that the massage parlor was operating as a prostitution business, the prostitution charge remained ongoing.
On November 2, 2016, Uhm Tae Woong was fined ₩1.00 million KRW (about $728 USD) for soliciting prostitution. By November 1, 2017, the actor was placed on a permanent ban from appearing on KBS, EBS, and MBC broadcasting channels on national TV.
The woman who accused him of sexual assault was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for false accusation.
