SEOUL: Hidden behind a white screen, a South Korean actress sobbed as she accused prize-winning director Kim Ki-Duk of abusing her on set—a rare denunciation in a conservative country where victims fear public shame, reports AFP.

Kim is one of South Korea’s most prominent film directors whose awards include a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for “Pieta” and Berlin’s Silver Bear for “Samaritan Girl”.

But the actress said shooting his 2013 film “Moebius”—a thriller themed around incest—left her “deeply traumatised”.

She has accused Kim of physical and sexual abuse, saying he beat her on set and forced her into unscripted, unwanted sex and nude scenes, before replacing her with another actress.