'Squid Game' star Oh Young-soo gets suspended term for sexual misconduct

Actor O Yeong-su arrives at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court to attend a hearing for his alleged sexual misconduct on Friday. (Yonhap)

South Korean actor Oh Young-soo, star of the 2021 hit drama series "Squid Game," was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for sexually harassing a woman in 2017.

The 79-year-old defendant was accused of hugging the victim while on a walking trail and kissing her on the cheek in 2017. The women filed charges against Oh in December of 2021, after the elderly actor rose to stardom for his part in the Netflix series.

Prosecutors pressed charges against him in November of 2022.

"The content of the victim's journal, and the content of her counseling after the incident is consistent with what happened, and her testimonies could not have been given unless she actually experienced it," the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court in Gyeonggi Province said Friday in its verdict. Oh is also required to complete 40 hours in a sexual violence treatment program.

The court said it took into consideration the fact that Oh has no previous criminal records in its sentence and said it would not order his personal information or record to be revealed or restrict him from any type of employment.

Oh, who has been denying the charges, told reporters as he left court that he plans to appeal the case.

Oh, who has been a stage actor throughout his long career, rose to fame for his portrayal of the character Oh Il-nam in the 2021 hit drama "Squid Game." His performance earned him the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, a first for a Korean actor.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)