Veteran South Korean actor Oh Young Soo, who is well known for his role in Squid Game as as Player 001 has been acquitted of indecent assault charges by an appellate court. The verdict, delivered nearly two years after the accusations surfaced, marks the end of a turbulent and emotional legal chapter for the 80-year-old star.
On November 11, the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Division 6-1 (Appellate Division) overturned the earlier guilty verdict, declaring Oh Young-Soo not guilty of molesting a junior theatre colleague.
The allegations dated back to August 2017, when Oh was accused of hugging and kissing a fellow theatre member, identified as “A,” without consent during a performance trip to Daegu. The same individual claimed that Oh kissed her again the following month near her residence.
How the Case Unfolded
The controversy started in December 2021, when the alleged victim filed a police complaint. At first, the police decided not to take the case forward, but after she appealed, the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office reopened it and formally charged Oh in November 2022.
In the first trial, Oh was found guilty and given an eight-month prison sentence (suspended for two years) and ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence counseling. The court had believed the victim’s account, which led both Oh and the prosecutors to appeal , the prosecutors even asked for a longer, one year jail term.
During his final court appearance, Oh maintained his innocence but spoke candidly about the ordeal: “At my age, I am ashamed to be standing in court. If my behavior back then was wrong and considered a crime, I will accept the consequences. But even now, I believe there was nothing in my actions that could be deemed as indecent. My 80 years of life have been shattered. It is painful and hollow. I only hope to return to my rightful place.”
For those who may not know, South Korean actor Oh Young-Soo shot to fame for playing Oh Il-nam, also known as Player 001, in Netflix’s Squid Game. He portrayed the mastermind behind the deadly games. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first Korean actor to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV series for his performance.
