Actor O Yeong-Su, renowned for his performance in ‘Squid Game’, has been convicted of sexual misconduct for allegedly embracing and kissing a woman on the cheek without her consent.
O received a prison term of up to eight months and was suspended for two years from the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court, as reported by Deadline, citing details from Korean sources.
The 79-year-old faced charges in 2022 regarding accusations of hugging a woman and kissing her on the cheek back in 2017. However, he denied the allegations.
Following his departure from the court on Friday, he informed reporters that he intended to challenge the verdict, which mandated his participation in a 40-hour sexual offender treatment program.
O had previously stated that he held the woman’s hand to guide her around a lake. “I apologized because (the person) said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it but it doesn’t mean that I admit the charges,” he said.
O has been part of the entertainment industry for more than five decades, but his portrayal in Netflix’s series ‘Squid Game’ catapulted him to global fame and recognition. The show portrays a grim reality where marginalized individuals are coerced into participating in lethal versions of traditional children’s games.