South Korean actor O Yeong-su, who was known for starring in the first season of the Netflix series "Squid Game," was convicted by a local court on Friday, March 15, on charges of sexual harassment.
According to Reuters, the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court sentenced 79-year-old O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours of attendance at a sexual violence treatment program.
Local media previously reported that the actor was charged with two counts of sexual harassment in 2017 when he allegedly hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will. O has categorically denied the allegations.
He was indicted for the case in 2022, with prosecutors initially seeking a one-year prison sentence for O.
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(Photo: Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images)
O Plans to Appeal Ruling
As he was leaving court on Friday, O told reporters that he planned to appeal against the decision within the seven-day allotted period.
On the other hand, Womenlink, a South Korean women's rights group, welcomed the ruling and urged O to apologize to the victim.
"The defendant resembles other offenders of sexual violence in theatre in the past who tried to cover up their sexual violence as 'favor' and 'friendship,'" the group said on X, formerly Twitter.
O won Best Supporting Actor in Television at the 2022 Golden Globe Awards for his role as the elderly character Oh Il-Nam, one of the main antagonists of the first season of "Squid Game." The accolade made him the first South Korean to ever get a Golden Globe recognition.
The accusations of sexual harassment saw him dropping out of an upcoming South Korean film.
Other figures in the country's film industry, like the late filmmaker Kim Ki-duk and actor Cho Jae-hyun, have also faced sexual assault allegations, Mediacorp reported.
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