Oh Young-soo, who played Oh Il-nam (Player 001) in Netflix’s Squid Game, has been found guilty of sexual misconduct.
The 79-year-old actor was given an eight-month suspended sentence for indecent assault on Friday in Seoul, South Korea. He is also required to attend 40 hours of classes on sexual violence. The charges were brought in 2022 after an actress who worked with Oh Young-soo accused him of inappropriately touching her during a touring production in 2017.
Prosecutors said last month that they’d be seeking a one-year sentence and an employment suspension if Oh was convicted, but the initial charge carried a prison sentence of up to 10 years and an $11,000 fine. The details of the case, including the actress who filed the complaint, have been kept private, as is custom for sex crimes being tried in South Korea.
Oh has repeatedly denied the charges. In 2022, he told South Korean broadcaster JTBC that he had only held the accuser’s hand to walk her around the lake, and claimed he apologized to her after the incident: “I apologized because [the person] said she wouldn’t make a fuss about it but it doesn’t mean that I admit the charges,” Oh said. Despite his repeated denials, he admitted to reporters as he walked into his first court hearing in February 2023 that “I think I behaved badly” but continued to refute the charges.
The allegations have had a major impact on Oh’s career over the last two years. The actor — who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Oh Il-Nam — was removed from the upcoming second season of Squid Game and his appearances in several South Korean film and theater projects have been canceled.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual misconduct, you can reach out for support:
RAINN Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
http://www.rainn.org
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)