South Korean authorities have announced that actor Oh Young-soo, star of the critically acclaimed Squid Game, will face indecent assault charges. The charges stem from a 2017 accusation by a woman that he had inappropriately touched her.
Thursday, the district court in Seongnam city announced that prosecutors had indicted the 78-year-old Emmy nominee the previous week on the charges and that his trial would begin in February. Seongnam district prosecutor’s office official Kim Myeong- un said the office could not confirm the specifics of the case against Oh, which was first reported by local media last week.
Reports state that the unnamed lady first complained against Oh in December 2021, accusing him of initiating inappropriate physical contact during a meeting in 2017.
The Associated Press attempted to reach Oh several times for comment but did not get a response.
In an interview with South Korean cable network JTBC, Oh was quoted as saying that he had just held the woman’s hands to “guide her the way” while they strolled around a lake, denying any wrongdoing. JTBC reports that Oh told the woman he was sorry, not because he admitted wrongdoing, but because she promised not to “create an issue” if he did so.
In January, Netflix’s violent drama Squid Game was aired, following a group of desperate adults competing in deadly children’s games for a chance to escape serious debt. The series earned Oh the title of best supporting actor at the Golden Globes, making him the first South Korean actor to receive the award.
Oh received another Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Oh Il-Nam, a mysterious elderly competitor who entered the games after learning he had terminal brain cancer.
