South Korea's top film translator is a three-time sex offender, report says

Hwang Seok-hee, the prolific translator behind the Korean subtitles for some of the biggest Hollywood films of the past decade, was convicted of sex crimes, South Korean entertainment outlet Dispatch reported Monday.

Hwang, 47, has translated more than 600 English-language films for Korean audiences, including "Deadpool," the "Spider-Man" franchise, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and, most recently, "Project Hail Mary." He is widely considered the most prominent film translator working in South Korea.

Unlike most subtitle translators who tend to stay out of the spotlight, Hwang has built a public-facing career that extends well beyond his screen work. He has published essays, made television and radio appearances and maintained an active social media following, cultivating a reputation as a progressive voice on social justice issues, including gender equality.

The latest allegations throw that public profile into question.

According to the Dispatch report, which cited tips from an informant, Hwang was convicted on two separate occasions — for two crimes in 2005 and one in 2014 — and received suspended prison sentences both times.

The report appears to draw in part on records from the South Korean court system's publicly accessible Judicial Information Sharing Portal, which allows users to search past criminal case and court records.

In 2005, Hwang assaulted multiple women on the street near Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, the report said.

Hwang groped and attacked two women in separate incidents about 30 minutes apart, and also assaulted bystanders who attempted to intervene. Four people were injured as a result. He was convicted of indecent assault causing injury and sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, the report said.

He was convicted again in 2014, a year after he had risen to prominence for his translation work for the film "Warm Bodies."

According to the report, Hwang committed quasi-rape against a student from a subtitle translation class he taught at a community center after she became too intoxicated to resist, and filmed her without her consent.

Despite the prior conviction for a similar offense, the court handed down a two-year prison sentence suspended for four years, along with 80 hours of sex offender treatment classes and 80 hours of community service, according to the report.

A screenshot of the Judicial Information Sharing Portal included in the report shows a record under the surname Hwang with criminal charges matching those described.

The portal does not display full names, making it difficult to independently verify the allegations.

Dispatch is the same outlet whose December report on past crimes by the actor Cho Jin-woong led to his retirement from acting.

Hwang responded on social media Monday after the report broke, saying he was reviewing the matter with his lawyer and would consider legal action if it contained factual inaccuracies.