'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-Su, 79, convicted of sexual misconduct for 2017 incident: Reports
O Yeong-Su, the Korean actor best known for his role in "Squid Game," has been convicted of sexual misconduct following a 2017 incident.
The 79-year-old actor was first charged in 2022 after a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her. O was convicted on Friday and sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years, according to Reuters and AFP.
An official at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court in South Korea told the outlets that O was also ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment.
The Golden Globe-winning actor has denied the accusations. O told reporters as he was leaving the court that he planned to appeal against the decision, Reuters reported.
According to AFP, the Suwon District Court said the incident took place when O was staying in a rural area in South Korea for a theater performance, on a walking path in front of the victim's residence.
South Korean cable channel JTBC said in 2022 that O denied wrongdoing, saying that he had only held the woman's hands to "show her the way" as they walked around a lake. According to JTBC, O said he had offered the woman an apology, not because he acknowledged the accusations against him but because the woman allegedly told him she "wouldn't raise an issue" about the incident if he did.
O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in 2022 after he was named the top supporting actor for his role in "Squid Game," a brutal Netflix drama about a desperate group of adults competing in deadly children's games for a chance to escape severe debt.
'Squid Game' actorO Yeong-Su indicted for indecent assault
O was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Oh Il-nam, a mysterious elderly contestant who joined the games after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Reuters reports the controversy over the accusations saw him dropped from an upcoming South Korean film.
Contributing: Juwon Park, The Associated Press