'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su found guilty of sexual misconduct

Actor O Yeong-su arrives at the Seongnam branch of Suwon District Court in Gyeonggi, on Feb. 2. [YONHAP]

“Squid Game” actor O Yeong-su was found guilty of sexual misconduct by a district court on Friday.

He was sentenced by the Seongnam, Gyeonggi, branch of Suwon District Court to eight months of prison, suspended for two years, and 40 hours of sexual violence education.

"The contents of the victim's diary and her records from counseling largely correspond to the case, and the victim's claims are consistent and appear to be statements that could not have been made without actual experience," the court said.

The actor was indicted in November 2022 when a member of a theater troupe at the time, of which O was also a part, alleged that O sexually assaulted her on two accounts in 2017. She had claimed that O groped and kissed her without her consent.

O, whose real name is Oh Se-kang, majored in theater at Dongguk University and debuted as an actor in 1963. The actor debuted on the silver screen in 1965 with “The Seashore Village” and was also in director Kim Ki-duk’s “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring” (2003). He was largely known for his theater work until he was cast as player No. 1, also known as Oh Il-nam, in “Squid Game” (2021).

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]