Police have raided the residence of famed theatrical director Lee Youn-taek as part of a probe into allegations of multiple sexual assaults involving his junior colleagues, officials said Monday.

Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the premises of his residence in central Seoul and the main office of his drama troupe in Miryang, about 380 kilometers south of the capital, on Sunday and confiscated evidence, the agency said. They also raided two other studios run by Lee.

Police said they plan to bring him in for questioning this week.

Lee is accused of sexually molesting and raping numerous female junior colleagues over the past two decades. The allegations were first raised by one of the alleged victims, who made the revelation to public.

Sixteen women have filed a complaint with prosecutors seeking a formal investigation into the allegations. The prosecution has assigned the case to the police, banning Lee from leaving the country.

The Seoul police also said they have launched a preliminary investigation into award-winning filmmaker Kim Ki-duk over suspicions that he sexually abused women. They are looking into similar sexual misconduct allegations raised against the famous actor Cho Jae-hyun, who has starred in many of Kim's movies. (Yonhap)