Oh Yeong-Su, the 79-year-old South Korean actor, was convicted today in Seoul of sexual misconduct.
Oh, who captured a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Oh Il-nam in Netflix’s Squid Game, had been charged in 2022 that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek without her consent. He was reportedly sentenced to up to eight months in prison, but the sentence has been suspended for two years.
Oh denied the allegations and said he planned to appeal the ruling, which would require him to attend a treatment program for sexual offenders. According to his version of the story, Oh had earlier claimed he had merely held the woman’s hand to guide her around a lake. He was quoted as saying ‘I apologized because [she] said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it, but it doesn’t mean that I admit the charges.’”
During his trial, however, he told reporters, “I am sorry. I think I behaved badly.”
But the judge in the case noted that the woman’s story was “consistent” and appeared to be accurate. The judge referred to entries in the woman’s diary that seemed to validate her claim.
Oh has been in show business nearly all his life, but only came to international acclaim after his role in Squid Game. He had earlier appeared in a Korean production of King Lear and in Chocolate, a television series in his homeland.
The conviction was applauded by the South Korean women’s rights group known as Womenlink, which posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “The defendant resembles other offenders of sexual violence in the the past who tried to cover up their sexual violence as ‘favor’ and ‘friendship’.”
Negative fallout from the verdict is already having an impact on the actor’s career. According to a report in The New York Times, Oh has already lost some opportunities, including appearances in the second season of Squid Game.
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