Squid Game star convicted of sexual harassment
South Korean actor O Yeong-su, who starred in the first season of the hit Netflix series Squid Game, was convicted on Friday on charges of sexual harassment and handed a suspended prison sentence, a court official said.
A Suwon District Court sentenced O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours of attendance at a sexual violence treatment programme, the court official said by telephone.
The 79-year-old actor was found guilty of hugging, holding hands and kissing on the cheek an unnamed actress without her consent. Prosecutors said he laid in the woman’s rented room and made inappropriate sexual comments.
He denied the accusation after being charged with two counts of sexual harassment, which took place in 2017.
As he was leaving the court, O told reporters he planned to appeal against the decision. He has seven days to appeal or the ruling will be upheld.
O became the first South Korean to win a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor in a series. He was recognised for his performance as a seemingly vulnerable old man in the dystopian production.
Urged to apologise
O was indicted in 2022 and prosecutors had previously sought a sentence of one year in prison, according to media reports.
Womenlink, a women’s rights group in South Korea, welcomed the ruling and urged O to apologise to the victim.
“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.
O won best supporting actor in television at the Golden Globes for his role in Squid Game in 2022, becoming the first South Korean to snatch the award.
He played the elderly character Oh II-nam, one of the main antagonists of the first season.
The controversy over the accusations of sexual harassment saw him dropping out of an upcoming film in South Korea.
O began acting in 1967 and is a respected stage actor in South Korea, having appeared in 200 productions.
He recently said his life had changed markedly since Squid Game.
He said: “I feel like I’m in the air. When I go to cafes or other places, I become self-conscious.”
