#MeToo gains strength in Asia as entertainment industries deal with sexual assault and abuse

From K-pop scandals to abuse in India, Taiwan and Japan, Asia is dealing with sexual harassment in entertainment

After a slow start, the #MeToo movement has gained momentum on the continent, but it still has a way to go

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“Nina Wu”, starring Taiwanese actress Wu Ke-xi, tells the story of an actress who is abused and psychologically scarred by a man in power.

Published: 10:00pm, 19 Jul 2019Updated: 12:11am, 20 Jul 2019

When Wu Ke-xi was looking for a frightening plot line for her latest film, she didn’t need to look further than her own industry.

The Taiwanese actress and screenwriter’s latest movie, Nina Wu , is the story of an actress who, in pursuit of a role that will lead to stardom, is abused and psychologically scarred by a man in power.

Wu found herself closely following the #MeToo movement in Hollywood and decided to write something for women affected by sexual assaults in the entertainment industry. Directed by Midi Z, it was selected to show at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

“After 2017, after the year the Harvey Weinstein stuff occurred, I read a lot of documents and interviews. I was so purely curious about what happened,” said Wu. She said she has been threatened in her career, but never sexually assaulted. “It’s still a humiliating experience,” she said. “So I felt really connected to those women.”

Seungri, a member of South Korean K-pop band Big Bang, was accused of procuring prostitutes for investors. Photo: Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji

Asia is having its own #MeToo moment, with its home-grown entertainment industries grappling with many of the issues that have upended entertainment careers in the United States and beyond.