Squid Game star Oh Yeong-su has been convicted of sexual misconduct in Seoul, South Korea.
The actor, 79, will be spending up to 8 months in prison, and the sentence will be suspended for two years. In 2017, the actor allegedly hugged and kissed a woman on the cheek without her consent.
Oh is required to attend a 40-hour sexual violence treatment, Reuters confirmed.
After his conviction on Friday, Oh denied he was responsible for the misconduct and said he’d appeal his conviction, Deadline reported.
Oh was initially charged for the incident back in November 2022. The star previously told Korean broadcaster JTBC he did have contact with the woman, but was “holding her hand while guiding the way” and he “only apologized because she said she wouldn’t take issue with an apology.”
During the trial, Judge Jeong Yeon-ju cited the woman’s diary as evidence and said her claims were “consistent … and appear to be statements that cannot be made without actually experiencing them.”
On the hit Netflix series, Oh played Oh Il-nam, the lead antagonist in the Korean drama. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role — his first major awards nod — and won.
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The star became the first ever Korean actor to win at the awards show. He also beat out fellow nominees Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Kieran Culkin, and Brett Goldstein to be crowned best supporting actor.
Alongside Oh’s global fame for the role, Netflix received a new top series in Squid Game. The show became Netflix’s most-streamed series with 111 million views shortly after airing. A second season of the series has been ordered, and Netflix teased it’s coming sometime this year.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
