Esther Imonmion
O Yeong-Su, the 81-year-old actor who gained global fame for his role in the hit Netflix series Squid Game, has been acquitted of sexual misconduct charges by a South Korean court.
O was initially charged in 2022 with allegedly sexually assaulting a woman twice, with claims that he had hugged and kissed her on the cheek against her will. In 2024, he was found guilty and handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence, which he appealed.
On Tuesday, the Suwon District Court overturned the conviction, citing uncertainty over the accuracy of the alleged victim’s recollection and noting that O had completed sexual violence awareness classes. The court said there was “doubt” as to whether the assault occurred, adding, “When there is doubt, the defendant must be given the benefit of the doubt.”
The alleged incidents took place in 2017 while O was in a rural area for a theatre performance. The woman first filed a complaint in 2021, but the case was closed before being reopened later that year at her request, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Despite the acquittal, the court acknowledged that O had apologised to the complainant, leaving open the possibility that some misconduct occurred.
Following the verdict, the alleged victim said the ruling “does not invalidate the truth or erase the pain I have suffered,” vowing to “continue to speak the truth to the very end.” Womenlink, the women’s rights group representing her, condemned the ruling as one that “conceals sexual violence in the theatre world.”
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will appeal the decision.
O expressed “gratitude to the court for its wise judgment” after the ruling. He became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in 2022, earning the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Squid Game, the global phenomenon that thrust him into international stardom.