South Korean actor O Yeong-su, renowned for his role in the Netflix series "Squid Game," has been convicted of sexual harassment by a South Korean court.
The verdict, delivered on Friday, saw the 79-year-old actor receiving a suspended prison sentence by the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court (eight months in prison, suspended for two years) and a mandate to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment classes.
O was indicted in 2022 and prosecutors had previously sought a sentence of one year in prison, according to media reports.
According to reports, O Yeong-su was was charged with two counts of sexual harassment, dating back to 2017. He was found guilty of sexual assault. The court detailed instances where O allegedly hugged an actress inappropriately, held her hand, and kissed her cheek. These actions, deemed as sexual harassment, led to his indictment in 2022.
After he was initially charged, Oh denied accusations, telling South Korean cable channel JTBC that he had only held the woman’s hands to “show her the way” as they walked around a lake. As he left the court, he expressed intentions to appeal the decision, holding a seven-day window to do so.
The verdict has stirred reactions from various quarters, with Womenlink, a women's rights group in South Korea, urging O Yeong-su to apologise to the victim. The group condemned O's actions,
“The defendant resembles other offenders of sexual violence in theatre in the past who tried to cover up their sexual violence as 'favour' and 'friendship'," the group said in a post on X.
In 2022, O Yeong-su made history by clinching the prestigious Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in Television for his portrayal of the character Oh II-nam in the acclaimed series "Squid Game." This achievement marked him as the first South Korean actor to ever receive such an honor. In the series, he brought to life the complex role of Oh II-nam, a pivotal character and one of the primary antagonists in the first season of the show. Oh was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Oh Il-nam, a mysterious elderly contestant, also known as Player 001, who joined the games after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Following the controversy surrounding the sexual harassment allegations, O Yeong-su withdrew from an upcoming film project in South Korea. Additionally, his absence from the new season of "Squid Game" highlights the repercussions of his misconduct.
Photo Credit: AFP
(Inputs from Agencies)
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