O Yeong-su, the 79-year-old actor, renowned for his portrayal of Oh II-nam in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game”, has been found guilty of sexual harassment. The Seongnam branch of the Suwon district court sentenced him to eight months in prison, which has been suspended for two years. Additionally, he is mandated to attend a sexual violence treatment program for 40 hours12.
The charges against O Yeong-su stem from incidents in 2017, during which he was accused of inappropriately touching a female actor. His actions included hugging her, holding her hand, and kissing her cheek. O Yeong-su had previously asserted that he held the woman’s hand while guiding her around a lake. Although he apologized, he maintained that this did not constitute an admission of guilt1.
Despite his conviction, O Yeong-su plans to appeal the decision. He has seven days to file an appeal; otherwise, the ruling will stand. Prosecutors had initially sought a one-year prison sentence for him1.
Notably, O Yeong-su made history by becoming the first South Korean to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in Television for his role in “Squid Game” in 2022. However, the controversy surrounding the sexual harassment accusations led to his withdrawal from an upcoming film project in South Korea13.
