A prominent South Korean theatre director has been sentenced to six years in prison for the sexual abuse of nine women, as the country’s nascent MeToo movement gathers pace.

Lee Yoon-taek was jailed on Wednesday for assaults on actresses dating back to 2010, including abusing eight women and sexually assaulting another.

The court heard that Lee, now 65, fondled the eight women – claiming he had to put his hands under their blouses as part of voice training – and forced them to massage his genitals, while he injured and attempted to rape the ninth victim.

The court said in a statement: “The accused claims these activities were all part of acting lessons, but they should be considered sexual abuses as there was no explicit consent from the victims.”

The MeToo campaign against the abuse of women swept the South this year after Seoul prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon defied convention to speak out on television about the abuse she suffered from a superior.

Since then a growing number of women have spoken out this year about abuses at the hands of powerful figures in multiple fields, making headlines in a country that remains patriarchal despite economic and technological advances.

Other high-profile men accused of sexual misconduct include Ko Un, a top poet regularly tipped for the Nobel prize for literature, and playwright Oh Tae-seok.

In August women’s rights groups slammed the decision by a Seoul court to acquit Ahn Hee-jung, a former presidential contender, over charges of forced sexual abuse and sexual intercourse by abuse of authority.