O Yeong-Su, the 81-year-old actor best known for his role as the “Old Man”, Oh Il-nam, in Squid Game season one, has been acquitted of sexual misconduct.
Last year, O was given an eight-month suspended sentence and ordered to attend 40 hours of classes on sexual violence, following a former co-star’s claim that he touched her inappropriately while working together in 2017.
On Tuesday, a South Korean court overturned his sentence, noting that he had completed sexual violence education classes and suggesting that the alleged victim’s recollection may have been “distorted” given the length of time since the incident.
The co-star, who has not been named, filed a complaint against O in 2021, accusing O of hugging and kissing her on the cheek without her consent in 2017.
The court explained in a statement shared by local media outlets: “The victim received counseling at a sexual violence counseling center about six months after the alleged incident and informed several close colleagues. Considering that the defendant apologized in response to the victim’s message requesting an apology, there is suspicion that the defendant may have committed indecent assault as charged.”
However, the court added: “Given the passage of time, there is a possibility that the victim’s memory may have been distorted. When there is doubt as to whether the defendant committed indecent assault as described in the indictment, the benefit of the doubt must go to the defendant.”
The alleged victim later released a statement about the verdict through women’s rights organization Womenlink, saying it would not “invalidate the truth or erase the pain I have suffered,” according to the BBC.
“Despite today’s ruling, I will continue to speak the truth to the very end.”
Womenslink added they were “outraged by a ruling that once again conceals sexual violence in the theatre world.”
Meanwhile, O said he had “gratitude to the court for its wise judgement,” the BBC reports.
In 2022, O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series for his performance in the Netflix series. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance.
He is considered one of his nation’s foremost theater actors, and has starred in more than 200 plays since 1968.
However, following the court charges, he was dropped from a film titled About Family by South Korean director Woo-seok Yang and replaced by another actor.
