Golden Globe winner Oh Yeong-Su, one of the stars of Netflix’s megahit “Squid Game, on Friday was convicted of sexual harassment in Korea and given a suspended prison sentence, according to multiple media reports.
Now 79, Oh was charged with two counts of sexual harassment alleged to have taken place in 2017; he was indicted in 2022. The charges stemmed from allegations he hugged and kissed a woman on the cheek against her wishes on two occasions, according to the BBC.
The incidents took place when the actor was in a rural area where he was working in a theater. He encountered the woman on a walking path and again in front of her home, AFP reported
In addition to the eight-month suspended sentence, he was ordered to attend 40 hours of classes on sexual violence by the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court, reports said.
Oh, who claimed his innocence in court, said as he was leaving that he will appeal the verdict within the required seven days.
That’s a step away from his statement when he entered his first court hearing in February 2023. “I am sorry,” he told reporters at that time, reports said. “I think I behaved badly.”
Oh won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for for his role as Oh Il-nam in the first season of “Squid Game” and has appeared in over 200 stage plays in Korea. He backed out of a production of “Love Letters” in 2022 after the charges were filed against him.
Golden Globe for his role as Oh Il-nam in the first season of “Squid Game” and has appeared in over 200 stage plays in Korea. He backed out of a production of “Love Letters” in 2022 after the charges were filed against him.
Netflix announced in 2022 that “Squid Game” would be back for a second season after season 1 became its most-watched original series. A first look at the new season, which does not feature Oh, was released last month as part of the streamer’s series and film preview for 2024. It has yet to announce a release date.
The series also spawned its own reality show, “Squid Game: The Challenge,” which premiered in the fall of 2023 and was renewed for a second season in December.