“Squid Game” star Oh Young-soo was convicted Friday of sexual misconduct after hugging, kissing and holding an actor’s hand against her will in 2017. He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, according to multiple media outlets.
A district court judge in Seongnam, South Korea, also ordered the 79-year-old to complete 40 hours of sexual violence education during his probationary period. Oh was reportedly first charged in late 2022, a little more than a year after “Squid Game” premiered.
The series dominated household TVs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and became a bona fide hit for Netflix. Oh, whose role was integral to the plot, went on to win South Korea’s first-ever Golden Globe for playing the seemingly kind contestant Oh Il-nam.
The accusations against Oh were first leveled in 2021, but police dropped the case earlier this year, citing a lack of evidence. Prosecutors reopened it after the woman appealed, and indicted Oh for allegedly touching her and kissing her cheek during a 2017 stroll. The two were co-stars in a play and touring the country at the time.
“The content of the victim’s journal, and the content of her counseling after the incident is consistent with what happened, and her testimonies could not have been given unless she actually experienced it,” the Suwon District Court reportedly said in Friday’s verdict.
Local outlets have since reported that Oh intends to appeal the ruling. The actor, who has appeared in more than 200 plays as well as various TV shows and films during his 50-year career, previously acknowledged that he held the plaintiff’s hand, but denied sexually assaulting her.
“I just held her hand to guide the way around the lake,” Oh told the South Korean outlet JTBC in November 2022, per Deadline. “I apologized because [the person] said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it but it doesn’t mean that I admit the charges.”
Netflix has not yet commented on Oh’s charges or conviction, or indicated whether he will return for the second season of “Squid Game.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
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