A Korean-American dentist in his 70s has been arrested by police, accused of repeatedly raping a female employee at his dental clinic in Los Angeles Koreatown.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 76-year-old Michael (Yoonbum) Bae was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault at around 8:50 a.m. on July 16 while entering the United States through Los Angeles International Airport. Bae is being held on $250,000 bail.
The arrest followed a report by the victim to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on May 22, 2023. Based on the report, the LAPD conducted an investigation, leading to a raid on the dental office on July 9. Bae is currently detained at a facility in Downtown Los Angeles and is scheduled for arraignment on August 16.

In addition to the criminal case, Bae faces multiple lawsuits. The female victim, in her 40s, filed a civil lawsuit last November after initially reporting Bae to the police.
In her complaint, the victim, who worked as an administrative assistant at Bae’s dental office, detailed the dates, times, and circumstances of the sexual assaults. She alleged that Bae gave her “Triazolam,” a sedative-hypnotic medication, at 12 times the recommended dosage and sexually assaulted her multiple times. Despite her pleas for him to stop and her symptoms of vomiting and abdominal pain, the assaults continued.
The lawsuit was filed after the victim discovered photos and videos of the sexual assaults, showing Bae assaulting her while she was unconscious and filming her private parts.
Complicating matters, Bae filed for bankruptcy after being sued, halting the civil proceedings. The victim’s lawyers filed a motion on June 21 against Bae’s bankruptcy immunity, seeking to reopen the case, arguing that sexual assault allegations are an exception under bankruptcy law.
The Korea Daily found that Bae had previously filed for bankruptcy three times. The U.S. Trustee, managing the debtor’s bankruptcy proceedings, requested an extension to investigate Bae’s assets. A bankruptcy court hearing is scheduled for July 30.
“Bae filed for bankruptcy as the date of the witnesses’ depositions approached, which may be a fraudulent bankruptcy,” said Jinny Kang, a lawyer representing the plaintiff. “Looking at his history, there have been cases in the past where he was suspected of filing for bankruptcy to prevent lawsuits, and it seems that the U.S. Trustee is also suspicious of his intentions.”
The Korea Daily visited Bae’s dental clinic on July 29, but found the doors firmly closed.
“I’m not legally representing him for his arrest, so I’m not involved there,” Jiyoung Kim, a lawyer representing Bae, told the Korea Daily in a phone call on July 23. “In the case of bankruptcy, the U.S. Trustee is just asking for some documents to be sent, and the clinic is not currently closed, just suspended operation.”
Bae has practiced orthodontics and implantology in Los Angeles for over 40 years. After graduating from Seoul National University and the USC School of Dentistry, he received his license from the Dental Board of California in May 1979.
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]