‘Squid Game’ Actor Oh Yeong-su in Legal Battle Amidst International Fame

Veteran actor Oh Yeong-su, who gained worldwide fame through his role in the Netflix drama “Squid Game”, is currently facing a legal battle. Both the prosecution and the defendant have appealed against the first-instance court verdict involving allegations of sexual harassment.

According to legal circles on the 21st, the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office in Seongnam filed an appeal against the court’s ruling on Mr. Oh, citing inappropriate sentencing. Previously, he received a sentence of eight months in prison with a two-year probation. Following the prosecution, Mr. Oh’s defense attorney also submitted an appeal.

The prosecution had previously requested a one-year prison sentence in the first-instance decision trial, arguing, “The defendant distortedly expressed his desire for youth, and evaded responsibility for the victim’s demands for an apology, leading to the victim’s frustration.”

Mr. Oh was charged without detention on suspicion of sexually harassing a woman, referred to as A, twice during the summer of 2017. This occurred while he was staying in the countryside for a theater performance, with allegations suggesting he hugged Ms. A on a walkway and kissed her cheek in front of her residence. Throughout the investigation and trial, Mr. Oh denied all charges. However, the court recognized his guilt.

Judge Jeong Yeon-ju of the Criminal 6 single bench of the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court stated during the probationary sentence on the 15th, “The content of the victim’s diary and the counseling content received from the counseling agency after the incident match substantially with the case content, and the victim’s claims are consistent and seem to be statements that could not be made without experience.” Additionally, Judge Jeong noted, “Mr. Oh seemed to say that he hugged (the victim) out of affection, like a daughter, which can only be seen as an admission of his actions (charges).”

Oh Yeong-su achieved global fame as the ‘Old Man’ in Netflix’s original drama ‘Squid Game’. In January 2022, he became the first Korean actor to receive the Best Supporting Actor award in the Television series category at the Golden Globe Awards in the United States.