O Yeong-su, the actor who starred as the player-turned-mastermind in Netflix’s Squid Game, has been convicted of sexual misconduct. Per the New York Times, on Friday, a South Korean district court found him guilty of the indecent assault of an unnamed actress in 2017. According to The Guardian, a judge gave O an eight-month prison sentence that will be suspended for two years. The actor, who has denied the allegations, was also ordered to attend 40 hours of classes on sexual violence. The Times reports that under South Korean law, O will now become a registered sex offender who can be monitored by police even after completing his prison sentence. Here’s what to know about the conviction.
Who is O Yeong-su, and what was he accused of?
The 79-year-old boasts a decades-long career in South Korean theater — by his own estimate, he has starred in more than 200 plays. According to the Times, he is considered one of his country’s most accomplished stage actors. He has now been found guilty of inappropriately hugging an unnamed actress, holding her hand, and kissing her cheek across multiple incidents dated to 2017. Prosecutors reportedly also alleged that he laid in a room she rented and made lewd sexual comments to her.
Although O was initially charged in 2017, he wasn’t indicted until 2022 — the same year he became the first South Korean to win a Golden Globe for his role as Player 001. The actress said she received sexual violence counseling in March 2018, but the success of Squid Game brought the memories back.
How did he respond to the allegations?
O denied all charges, instead claiming that he “held hands with the woman†to show her around a lake. He has admitted to apologizing to her, but said it was only so “she wouldn’t make a fuss about it,†and emphasized that an apology is not an admission of guilt. During his first court hearing in February 2023, he reportedly told reporters he was “sorry,†adding, “I think I behaved badly.†Still, he continued to deny the charges. His lawyers also argued that the actress’s narrative was not consistent.
Will he appeal the verdict?
Yes. According to the Times, after he received the guilty verdict, he told reporters that he plans to appeal the decision. (If he does not do so within seven days, the ruling will stand.)
Has he faced any other consequences?
O’s career has definitely suffered. Around the time that he was indicted, the South Korean Culture Ministry pulled a series of ads that featured him. According to the Korea Herald, images and posts with him were also taken down from the government’s website and YouTube channels. He dropped out of a South Korean play called Love Letter last year, and distribution company Lotte Entertainment reportedly said last month that it would delete his scenes from the upcoming South Korean film About Family. Finally, O does not appear to have gotten the (red-light-)green-light to join the cast of the upcoming second season of Squid Game.