A South Korean appeals court has overturned a sexual misconduct conviction against 81-year-old actor Oh Young-soo, who starred in Netflix’s global phenomenon “Squid Game,” according to Yonhap News.
The Suwon District Court on Tuesday acquitted Mr. O, overturning a lower court’s decision that found him guilty of sexually harassing a woman during a 2017 local theater tour. The suspect was accused of hugging the woman and kissing her on the cheek without her consent.
The appeals court acknowledged the existence of the suspicions, citing the fact that the woman sought counseling about sexual violence six months after the incident, and that Mr. O apologized at the woman’s request. However, the court expressed concern about the potential for victims’ memories to become distorted over time, and stressed the need to protect defendants’ interests where doubts remain.
The original ruling sentenced O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. Prosecutors had asked for a one-year prison sentence in both the initial trial and the appeals court.
After the verdict, the alleged victim spoke out against the verdict. “Despite today’s verdict, I will continue to tell the truth until the end,” she said in a statement released through the women’s rights organization WomenLink, adding that the acquittal “does not invalidate the truth or erase the pain I have suffered.”
According to BBC News, Women’s Link criticized the ruling, saying it was “outraged by a ruling that once again covers up sexual violence in the theater industry.”
O became internationally known for his performance in “The Squid Game,” for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2022. The Netflix series became a cultural phenomenon and remains one of the most-watched shows on the streaming platform.
The veteran actor’s legal troubles had cast a shadow over his career after appearing in the survival thriller series.
