South Korean actor, O Yeong-su, known for his role in the first season of the popular Netflix series “Squid Game,” was convicted on Friday of sexual harassment, according to multiple reports.
The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court handed O a suspended prison sentence of eight months, valid for two years, along with a requirement to attend a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program.
The 79-year-old actor, accused of two counts of sexual harassment in 2017, had refuted the allegations.
In 2022, prosecutors brought charges against O following a complaint from an unidentified actress alleging inappropriate touching.
They contended that during several instances in August and September 2017, O hugged the woman, held her hand, kissed her cheek, and entered her rented room, where he made potentially inappropriate sexual remarks, the New York Times reported.
Womenlink, a women’s rights organization in South Korea, praised the verdict and called on O to apologize to the victim.
“The defendant’s behavior mirrors that of past perpetrators of sexual violence in the entertainment industry, who sought to disguise their actions as ‘favors’ and ‘friendship,'” the group stated in a post on X.
O, who won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in Television for his role in “Squid Game” in 2022, became the first South Korean to receive the award.
He portrayed the elderly character Oh II-nam, a primary antagonist in the first season.
Amidst the controversy surrounding the sexual harassment allegations, he was dropped from a South Korean play, “Love Letter.”
During his first court hearing in 2023, he apologized for his actions, saying, “I think I behaved badly.”
