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Image source, Noh Juhan/Netflix
O Yeong-su, who played Oh Il-nam, the oldest contestant in The Squid Games, says he will appeal the verdict
Squid Game actor O Yeong-Su has been handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence for sexual misconduct by a South Korean court.
The 79-year-old man was charged in 2022 with sexually assaulting a woman twice.
The attacks took place five years earlier, when O was in a rural area to attend a theater performance in 2017, the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court reported AFP.
Or he has said he will appeal the verdict and has seven days to do so.
The allegations were that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will, Yonhap news agency reported.
Or he was also ordered to attend classes on sexual violence, it was reported.
According to AFP, Judge Jeong Yeon-ju said the victim’s records of the assault and her statements were “consistent… and seem like statements that cannot be made without actually experiencing them.”
O had denied the allegations, which the Suwon District Court said took place on a walking path and in front of the victim’s residence.
The actor rose to international fame after starring in Squid Game, a dystopian drama in which contestants participate in deadly versions of traditional children’s games.
It was a huge and unexpected hit on Netflix, attracting more than 100 million viewers worldwide within weeks of its 2021 release.
The following year, O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe for his role as Oh Il-nam, the oldest contestant in the competition.
The controversy caused by the accusations against O led to his exclusion from an upcoming film in South Korea, Reuters reported.
Womenlink, a prominent feminist organization, spoke to reporters shortly after the sentencing and said:
“Now we can say that sexual violence in the theater is not an old custom but sexual violence. The accused must stop trying to make his aggression disappear, apologize to the victim and accept his mistake.”