Squid Game Actor Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Assault

A South Korean court sentenced Squid Game actor O Yeong-Su to eight months suspended prison for sexual misconduct.

The 79-year-old was charged in 2022 with sexually assaulting a woman twice. The assaults occurred five years earlier, in 2017, while O was staying in a rural area for a theatre performance, according to the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court.

O has said he will appeal the verdict and has seven days to do so.
According to Yonhap, he allegedly hugged and kissed a woman on the cheek against her will.

O has also been ordered to attend sexual violence education classes, according to reports.

According to AFP, Judge Jeong Yeon-ju stated that the victim’s assault records and claims were “consistent… and appear to be statements that cannot be made without actually experiencing them”.

O denied the claims, which, according to Suwon District Court, occurred on a walking path in front of the victim’s home.

The actor rose to international prominence after starring in Squid Game, a dystopian drama in which contestants compete in deadly versions of traditional children’s games.

It was a huge and unexpected success on Netflix, attracting over 100 million viewers worldwide within weeks of its release in 2021.

The following year, O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe for his role as the competition’s oldest participant, Oh Il-nam.

According to Reuters, O was dropped from an upcoming South Korean film due to the controversy surrounding the accusations against him.

Womenlink, a prominent feminist organization, spoke with reporters shortly after the sentencing, saying:

“Now we can say that sexual violence in theatre is not an old custom, but rather sexual violence. The accused must stop trying to make his assault go away, apologize to the victim, and accept responsibility.”